Whangaehu proved himself up to the country’s top middle-distance gallopers over the summer and he’ll aim to complete a top campaign at Trentham in Saturday’s Listed Valley D’Vine Restaurant Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m). 

The talented six-year-old kicked off his hot streak winning the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) and Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) before making a serious impression with top-four finishes in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) behind Hong Kong-bound El Vencedor.

After a string of standout efforts, it looked to be his time to shine in last month’s Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m), but after getting back early and staying on the rail into the straight, he searched for clear air until the closing stages and flashed home for fifth.

While the result wasn’t as his trainer Bill Thurlow had hoped, he acknowledged the efforts of Whangaehu’s jockey Craig Grylls in what has been a phenomenal season for the stable.

“The way it panned out for him, it just didn’t work out,” Thurlow said. “Normally Craig would get it right 19 times out of 20, and it just didn’t happen that day.

“We’ve had a lot of luck too and Craig has ridden some winners for us that probably wouldn’t have won without his decision-making, so it’s just the way it is.

“He’s still gone super and come through it well, the biggest worry now is the weight he’ll be giving away on Saturday. But it’s a last run for the season and there’s nothing else for him, so we’ll take a throw at the stumps and hopefully he can carry the weight and run the trip out.

“Hopefully he acquits himself well.”

As a 100-rated galloper, Whangaehu will carry a clear topweight in the $120,000 feature, with his closest rival a mare in Mehzebeen.

Joining the son of Proisir at Trentham will be stablemates The Big Picture and The Entertainer, contesting the Rating 65 1400m and Rating 75 1400m contests respectively.

The Big Picture powered home into third behind Tossuforit down the chute on Oaks Day, while The Entertainer is second-up after winning twice during New Zealand Cup Week last preparation.

“We probably would’ve gone 1200m again with The Big Picture if there was one, but the race down the chute is only 1100m and that probably is a little too short for him,” Thurlow said.

“He went really well the other day and I think he’s done really well since, we’re going to apply blinkers this time as Craig thought he was going to win then he just goofed around a bit. We’ll take the shadow roll off, blinkers on and he should focus a bit more.

“I think he can be super competitive.

“The Entertainer come through that first-up run well, her work since then has been good and she looks good. It’s quite a strong little race, there’s probably half a dozen winning chances, so she’s no lay down, but I’m sure she’ll acquit herself well.”

Thurlow will have a pair of representatives on his home course on Thursday, including progressive three-year-old Black Sea who narrowly missed breaking maidens at his second appearance in mid-March. With Lily Sutherland on board, he’ll take his place in the Pioneer – P9400 (1400m).

“It was a very good run, there was just no tempo in the race, and he ended up sliding forward and taking it up and got slingshot in the last little bit,” he said.

“He’s still a big, green horse, it’s probably not his go to race like that. He’s going to be a nice staying horse in the future and will be better doing a bit of chasing. He’s trained on really well since and we’d be expecting him to go really well.”

Lightly-raced mare Steal My Thunder returns from a short let-up in the Pioneer – P9911 (1200m), since returning from a short campaign in the South Island. On her trip, she picked up the Summer Cup (1600m) at Invercargill but finished back in the field in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m).

“She handled the trip pretty well, she did everything we wanted to do other than being slightly disappointing there in her last start,” Thurlow said. “It was just the way it panned out for her.

“She’s come back well and in good order, so I expect her to run pretty well. It may be a tad too short, but on her home track with a rain around, she wouldn’t mind that."