Multiple Group One placegetter Malt Time heads to New Zealand’s northernmost racecourse as the best-performed runner at Saturday’s Ruakaka meeting, and co-trainer Shaun Clotworthy sees no reason not to expect a performance matching her credentials in the Porthouse Bar & Eatery Bream Bay Sprint (1400m).

Malt Time has won four of her 27 career starts, headed by the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Te Rapa in November of 2022. The daughter of Adelaide has gone winless in 12 appearances since then, but has only enhanced her reputation during that time with placings in this season’s Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m), Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) and Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).

The seven-year-old was freshened after finishing outside the placings in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) in early February, and she returned to action with a close fifth under 58.5kg in an open sprint at a wet Te Rapa on May 18.

“We were happy enough with that first-up run,” Clotworthy said. “The track might have been a bit heavier than she’d like, and her fitness just gave out a little bit towards the end of the race. Being an older mare now, she might take a run or two to get ready. She was carrying a fair bit of weight that day too. But we still thought she hit the line quite nicely.

“She’s been going the right way since that race and seems to have improved. It looks like a nice race for her this weekend, with our apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll taking the ride and reducing her weight a little bit. Ace is riding in good form at the moment and knows the mare pretty well.”

This will be Lawson-Carroll’s first raceday mount on Malt Time, but he has ridden her in trackwork and trials.

Clotworthy suggested that Malt Time’s owner-breeders Bill and Carrie Borrie may look to get the mare in foal in the upcoming spring before giving her one final racing preparation.

The stable has three other runners entered for Ruakaka on Saturday. Maiden gelding Mitonic will contest the Trigg Construction (1600m) after close-up finishes in third and fifth in his two most recent appearances, while previous Ruakaka winner Aqua Man will be ridden by 4kg claimer Sienna Brown in the Marsden Cove Dental (1600m). Talented three-year-old filly La Parisienne finished last on unsuitable wet ground in her last start but will attempt to bounce back in the Marsden Metals Group (1400m).

“Mitonic’s been going the right way lately and should run well again on Saturday,” Clotworthy said. “La Parisienne is a filly with plenty of ability, she just got tripped up by a heavy track last time. She was a very good second in her two starts before that, and we’d expect her to bounce back well on drier ground."