TRAINING PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Tony Pike

It was a big week for the Cambridge based Pike Racing stable. Heading to Matamata on Wednesday, Tony Pike and his team saddled 3 winners on the eight-race card. Centenario got the day off to a good start, while stable mates Pax Mundi and Awatere bagged the last two races of the day to complete a stable treble. The Pike stables run continued at Trentham on Saturday as they wrapped another two winners with Archaic Smile taking out the Listed IRT Wellesley Stakes. Not to be out done in the next race was Churchillian who put in a dogged performance to hold on and score the Group 3 Dixon & Dunlop Anniversary Handicap. Just for good measure and to make it 6 winners for the week, the ever-consistent Rudyard ran them ragged in the last race on the exciting Ellerslie card on Sunday.

FLASHING LIGHT

Waisake

A real old school style stayer, Waisake is building towards another tilt at this weekends Wellington Cup, a race he won back in 2021. On Saturday he got back a long way off the tear-away leader and turning for home, he had plenty of work to do. However, he closed hard, clocking the fastest closing splits of the race and got within 0.5 lengths of the winner. Interestingly, his closing sectionals were significantly faster than the rest of the fields. Given he will step out to 3200m on Saturday and is seemingly going as well as he can at the moment, the $4 for him to make it two cups on Saturday looks appealing.

RIDE OF THE WEEK

Sam Spratt

Interestingly she was able to win a Group 1 on Saturday, but her best ride of the week was in a 3YO SW+P 1200m on Sunday. Drawing 5 in a small field, Sam made her intentions known immediately from barrier rise. She took the speedy filly straight across the field to the lead and put herself in control of the race. One of New Zealand’s best barrier riders, her ability to control a race off the front was on show here as she played with the tempo to unsettle the field behind her and then used the corner to put her foot down and steal a break on the field who were left chasing. With the rail out 7m, dictating affairs from the front was always going to be an advantage and Sam did it masterfully. A classy filly, Merchant Queen kept her unbeaten record in-tact and started to construct a picket fence in the process.

OLD MARVEL

King Cougar

He might be 10 years old and have 101 starts on the board, but he certainly isn’t racing like a horse who knows he does. On the quick back-up from his tough win at Kumara, it was a handlebars down ride from Yogesh Atchamah on Saturday. The old boy seemed to relish the fast-paced action as he booted clear on the corner and was never headed. While it may have been his 101^st race day appearance on Saturday, he has certainly earned the marvel title, racking up 11 wins and a further 33 minor placings to go with his $275,000 in prizemoney. It’s great to see a horse like him relishing in his racing.

GAP JOB

Leave A Light On

With plenty of market support, this was a watch punters would have enjoyed. From the low draw of gate 2, Chris Dell sent the Janelle Millar trained filly forward where she eventually found the lead on her own and it was all over from there. Quickening on the corner, the pair put a margin on the field in a matter of strides and that margin only continued to grow the further they went, despite Chris idling her down inside the final 100m. Given this was her first win and first go at 1600m, I would suggest connections have New Zealand Oaks ambitions for the Eminent filly, where she is currently a $31 chance.