PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Sam Spratt & Corey Campbell

This was a dead-heat between jockeys Sam Spratt and Corey Campbell. Sam Spratt rode the closing treble at Pukekohe on Saturday, whilst also claiming the G1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes with a top ride aboard Belclare. Corey Campbell also rode the closing treble at Riverton on Saturday, where he too saluted in the feature event on the card in the Listed Carrier Arms Hotel Riverton Cup aboard Asathought.

RIDE OF THE WEEK

Joe Kamaruddin – Fellini

An inch perfect ride from start to finish saw Joe Kamaruddin and Fellini snatch victory by a head at Pukekohe on Saturday. From the gates, Joe managed to hunt up from barrier two and hold a trailing position behind the leaders, which saw him in a striking position turning in. Shortly after entering the home straight, a perfect gap one-off the fence opened, only to close moments later when Joe was electing to angle his mount towards this opening. Not panicking, Joe immediately steered Fellini on to the back of eventual runner-up, Pour The Wine, before angling off heels and reeling the filly in late.

Race 8 Pukekohe, 8 April 

Imarichgirl

Imarichgirl was a very luckless 2^nd in the last race of the day at Pukekohe. After settling in the rear group of the field, Craig Grylls found himself having to change course multiple times upon finding heels numerous times early in the straight. Once a gap eventually opened, Imarichgirl showed push-button acceleration, clocking 11 seconds flat between the 400m and 200m, whilst also recording the fastest closing 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m of the race. She looks primed to be winning in the near future back in this grade.

Race 7 Wanganui, 6 April 

Dresse’ Par Joli

On debut, this 3yo filly by Tavistock found herself well out of her ground for most of the 1600m journey, where the race was run at a frantic speed throughout. With Tegan Newman likely needing binoculars to see the leaders at the 600m, she sent Dresse’ Par Joli on a searching wide run prior to the turn. The filly kept on coming down the straight, recording the fastest closing 800m, 600m and 400m of the race, before peaking on the run very late when running into 2^nd place. Expecting this filly to be hard to beat with natural improvement and more ground in time.

Race 8 Riverton, 8 April

Inflamed

Big fan of the way this filly went about her work against the older horses on rain-effected going at Riverton. She was stepping back to R75 company from 3yo stakes races, with the addition of blinkers, she looked a level above her opposition on Saturday. It was her first go on anything worse than a Soft5, and she looked to lap it up, going straight on by noted wet tracker Sea Shepherd. She looks a filly with plenty of upside going forward, especially if we see her on rain-effected going heading into winter.