A phone call to the New South Wales handicapper will be the main priority for Te Aroha trainer Peter Lock on Monday morning as he pieces together a potential Australian campaign for impressive Te Rapa winner, Mr Luigi.
The strapping son of Darci Brahma's convincing victory on the weekend had Lock's Sydney based daughter Casey straight on the phone to her father to convince him of the opportunity across the Tasman and Lock is keen to take up her offer.
"Casey and her fiancée Con (Karakatsanis) have a wonderful set-up at Warwick Farm and she has been on to me for a while now that this is the horse we should send over to them," he explained.
"I was a little hesitant at first as I wanted to make sure he had what it took to compete over there but I think after that win it has convinced me.
"Before we give it the green light I do want to make sure about what sort of weights he might be carrying over there as if he has to lump 60 kilos around he might be better off staying here for the time being.
"If he does head over the ditch it will most likely be for 6-8 weeks as I would like to get him back for the latter part of the Hastings carnival if things go to plan."
Although Lock was confident his charge would be hard to beat on the weekend, despite stepping up in grade, he did have his concerns about the shifty nature of the Te Rapa surface.
"Having trained at Te Rapa for so long I know it can get a little tricky when it gets wet like that so I wondered if he would cope given he has such a big stride on him," he said.
"He looked as though he was under pressure most of the way and didn't travel that kindly which I put down to the track. When Sam (Spratt) came back in she said he didn't really get going until halfway down the straight but when he did extend he put them away pretty easily.
"He even had the cheek to prick his ears close to the line and knock off a bit so it was a smart win."
On the basis that he likes what he hears on Monday, Mr Luigi could be on plane as early as Wednesday to make the trip to Sydney.
Meanwhile Lock is also eagerly awaiting the return to his stable of promising Tavistock gelding Hiflyer who also has Australian ambitions later in the season.
"Hiflyer will come back into work on the 1st of August and I can't wait to get him back," he enthused.
"All reports are that he has thrived during his break and looks fantastic. We do have some plans for him this spring which could include Australia if he performs like we think he can so it is a very exciting time for the stable." – NZ Racing Desk.
The strapping son of Darci Brahma's convincing victory on the weekend had Lock's Sydney based daughter Casey straight on the phone to her father to convince him of the opportunity across the Tasman and Lock is keen to take up her offer.
"Casey and her fiancée Con (Karakatsanis) have a wonderful set-up at Warwick Farm and she has been on to me for a while now that this is the horse we should send over to them," he explained.
"I was a little hesitant at first as I wanted to make sure he had what it took to compete over there but I think after that win it has convinced me.
"Before we give it the green light I do want to make sure about what sort of weights he might be carrying over there as if he has to lump 60 kilos around he might be better off staying here for the time being.
"If he does head over the ditch it will most likely be for 6-8 weeks as I would like to get him back for the latter part of the Hastings carnival if things go to plan."
Although Lock was confident his charge would be hard to beat on the weekend, despite stepping up in grade, he did have his concerns about the shifty nature of the Te Rapa surface.
"Having trained at Te Rapa for so long I know it can get a little tricky when it gets wet like that so I wondered if he would cope given he has such a big stride on him," he said.
"He looked as though he was under pressure most of the way and didn't travel that kindly which I put down to the track. When Sam (Spratt) came back in she said he didn't really get going until halfway down the straight but when he did extend he put them away pretty easily.
"He even had the cheek to prick his ears close to the line and knock off a bit so it was a smart win."
On the basis that he likes what he hears on Monday, Mr Luigi could be on plane as early as Wednesday to make the trip to Sydney.
Meanwhile Lock is also eagerly awaiting the return to his stable of promising Tavistock gelding Hiflyer who also has Australian ambitions later in the season.
"Hiflyer will come back into work on the 1st of August and I can't wait to get him back," he enthused.
"All reports are that he has thrived during his break and looks fantastic. We do have some plans for him this spring which could include Australia if he performs like we think he can so it is a very exciting time for the stable." – NZ Racing Desk.