Prowess all class at Cambridge

The Roger James and Robert Wellwood trained three-year-old Prowess made a winning start to her classic campaign when running out an impressive winner of the Cambridge Equine Hospital (1300m) on Wednesday.

The daughter of Proisir won on debut in her only two-year-old outing back in April and on the strength of a strong polytrack trial win was sent out a $1.30 favourite and duly delivered for punters.

The quality filly was ridden by Vinnie Colgan, who replaced Ryan Elliot, and after settling midfield behind a strong tempo showed her class when produced in the straight to score by three-quarters of a length from older stablemate Deep Beauty.

“Vinnie was pretty impressed. He helped her out of the gates and then he said from there he grabbed hold. She was very tractable and was push button, but he was a bit worried our old boy Deep Beauty had him in a pocket for a moment. But once he got clear air and shook the reins at her he said she found the bridle and gave him a pretty nice feel,” Wellwood said.

Nominated for both the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 50th New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm 50th New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Prowess is $4.50 second favourite for the latter.

“We will see how she pulls up and determine where we head next. There are plenty of options but the end goal is certainly one of the Guineas races at Riccarton,” Wellwood said.

“She is nominated for both Guineas and obviously most of the time you stick to your sex but we will keep it up in the air and assess the whole picture and the 2000 Guineas is worth a bit more money.

The Cambridge horseman said having access to the polytrack was important to get the filly’s campaign underway.

“Previously we would have had no choice but to start her on an extremely heavy track and perhaps flattened her. She is certainly one of our best three-year-olds and it is just nice for her to be able to come here,” he said.

“Even driving to the races with the rain tumbling down, we were ensured we were able to get good footing and she will come through the run unscathed with hopefully not a lot taken out of her.  It would have been the opposite on a heavy track, which unfortunately this spring has given us.”

James and Wellwood went to $230,000 to purchase the filly out of Hallmark Stud’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft and Wellwood is confident the loose-moving filly will be seen to good effect over ground.

“Attitude is going to take her a long way, she is very tractable and we have seen other Proisirs that have stretched out over ground as well,” he said.

“She is a big scopey filly that is only half the horse of what she is going to be as a four and five-year-old.”

Hezashocka to step up to Group One level

Kiwi-bred gelding Hezashocka will chase a breakthrough Group One win next month.

Following a strong run at Flemington last Saturday for second over 1700m, trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are looking to return to the Melbourne track to test the five-year-old under Group One conditions in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on October 1.

A strong Flemington record, having had four starts for two wins, a second and a sixth makes Price hopeful he can be competitive at a higher level.

“He hasn’t shown the class of a horse that you think you would go straight to a Group One, but the timing, the distance (2000m) and the course suits very well. He loves Flemington, so I think we’ll have a go,” Price said.

Hesashocka, who races in the silks of OTI Racing, lives and trains out of Warrnambool at Matthew Williams’ property.

“It’s just the environment he needs,” Price said.

Hezashocka, who also holds nominations for both the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup and Gr.1 Melbourne Cup, was initially purchased out of Grangewilliam Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 3 Yearling Sale draft by Shaun Clotworthy.

The Byerley Park horseman trained the son of Shocking in partnership with his wife Emma to win the Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie in April last year before his subsequent sale to Australia, however the couple remain in the ownership.

Te Akau mare the Belle of the Ball at Riccarton

Belle of the Ball justified her $1.50 favouritism in her 1400m contest at Riccarton on Wednesday when running out a clear 2-1/4 length victor in the hands of Joe Kamaruddin.

The Mark Walker-trained mare had a pleasing three-year-old season when fourth in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) before finishing runner-up in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) in April.

She resumed with another runner-up effort behind stablemate Savito over 1300m at Taupo last month before scoring her maiden win over 1400m on the Riccarton Synthetic a fortnight ago.

She showed her liking for the surface when scoring back-to-back wins at the track on Wednesday.

“She’s a really progressive mare,” Walker said. “We’ve come back down to the South Island with the view of getting her rating high enough to contest the Spring Classic (Listed, 2000m) on 22 October at Riccarton.

“It was a lovely ride by Joe (Kamaruddin). She’s a mare that we’ve always had a lot of time for and she’s really starting to come of age.”

Belle of the Ball also holds a nomination for the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) during Cup Week on 9 November at Riccarton, won last year by stablemate Markus Aurelius.

Belle Of The Ball was purchased out of Waikato Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $300,000.

Walker also tasted success in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1600m) with Illicit Miss.

It was also the second consecutive win for the mare, who Ellis purchased out of Lansdowne Park’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $95,000.

I Wish I Win stranded on ballot

Pre-post Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) favourite I Wish I Wish is uncertain of gaining a start in Saturday’s feature at Caulfield.

I Wish I Win, who races in the colours of Waikato Stud, is second emergency for the A$1 million race. 

The New Zealand import shined at his Australian debut for Peter Moody over the course on the Memsie Stakes undercard, winning an open handicap by four lengths ahead of Gentleman Roy.

Connections will now wait anxiously on two acceptors scratching ahead of the 7:30am Saturday morning deadline, with the son of Savabeel a $3.20 favourite. 

Jamie Kah has been booked for I Wish I Win and also the highest-rated runner in the field, Danny O’Brien’s five-year-old mare Graceful Girl.

Meanwhile, fellow Kiwi breds Ayrton (by Iffraaj) and Showmanship (by Showcasing) are the second and third elects at $5 and $7 respectively.

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Dragon Leap is a $7.50 fourth favourite and also requires a defection to gain a start as the first emergency. 

Kiwi-breds go bang at Sandown

A couple of New Zealand-breds struck early at Sandown on Wednesday and better things are tipped to be in-store for both horses.

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained The Deputy was the first off the mark when winning on debut in the first over 1300m.

Jockey Ben Melham was familiar with the Nicconi colt and was pleased to be met by a Soft5 track on Wednesday.

“He is a nice horse. I have tried him a few times and has just really struggled on the heavy ground,” Melham said.

“He led up in a trial the other day and he got lost. I was keen to see him here on a better surface because he has given me the feel of a nice horse with a bit of class.

“He is still pretty raw and green, as you saw up the straight, but he has got a nice future I think.

“The mile will suit him next time, but I think he will learn so much from the outing today. He is in the right stable and the owners are going to have plenty of fun with him.”

Two races later fellow Kiwi-bred Holster recorded his fifth career win with a commanding 2-1/4 length victory over 1800m.

The Tavistock gelding campaigned in Darwin over winter and trainers Amy and Ash Yargi believe the trip has been the making of the horse.

“After speaking to Amy and Ash, the horse’s trainers, they were very confident. They said the horse had grown up after their trip away to Darwin,” jockey Craig Williams said.

“He had a bit of a setback but the trip made him really grow up.

“This is my first ride on him. I could feel how genuine he is and a bit of TLC late was the difference in the end.

“I am glad I chose not to use my persuader and just encourage him, and he went well.”