Maybe Miami
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It was mission accomplished for trainers Kevin & Pam Hughes when their classy sprinter-miler Maybe Miami scored a gritty win in Saturday's Coupland's Bakeries Mile Prelude (1400m) at Riccarton.
The five-year-old Iffraaj gelding has the Gr. 2 Coupland's Bakeries Mile on the 9th of November as his main spring assignment and has now cemented his place in the final field with the victory. That allows Kevin Hughes the luxury of choice when it comes to a final lead-up run in preparation for the feature mile during next month's Christchurch Cup Week.
"We were pretty sure he was going to make the field on his current rating but that win has taken away any pressure there may have been to get him in the race," noted Hughes.
"It was a good tough win on Saturday as he raced pretty fiercely during the run but he certainly didn't chuck it away in the straight.
"He will most likely have one more start before Cup Week but I'm just not sure where that will be as there are a couple of nice options for him."
Hughes is eyeing up an open 1600 metre event at the Ashburton meeting on 15 October as the preferred option for his charge who has now won five of his 16 career starts.
"I'm keen on the race at Ashburton as he goes well there but it will depend on what sort of track is presented," he advised.
"It can get very firm there so I wouldn't run him if it was like that. There is also a nice 1400 metre race on his home track a week after Ashburton so it is good to have that option as well.
"The track on Saturday was just perfect with a little give in it which is what he prefers. He went well in the Winter Cup on a heavy track but if he can get something more like Saturday's surface then he is going to be competitive in anything he lines up in."
Hughes was also delighted for apprentice Tanya Jonker who guided Bonaparte to an all-the-way win for the stable earlier in the day.
"I was rapt for Tanya as she did exactly what I asked her to do and she deserved to get the victory," he said.
"The horse had been a bit of a rogue in his early days but he put a couple of wins together at the end of his last campaign and has come up really well this time in.
"I don't think that will be his last win based on that performance." – NZ Racing Desk
The five-year-old Iffraaj gelding has the Gr. 2 Coupland's Bakeries Mile on the 9th of November as his main spring assignment and has now cemented his place in the final field with the victory. That allows Kevin Hughes the luxury of choice when it comes to a final lead-up run in preparation for the feature mile during next month's Christchurch Cup Week.
"We were pretty sure he was going to make the field on his current rating but that win has taken away any pressure there may have been to get him in the race," noted Hughes.
"It was a good tough win on Saturday as he raced pretty fiercely during the run but he certainly didn't chuck it away in the straight.
"He will most likely have one more start before Cup Week but I'm just not sure where that will be as there are a couple of nice options for him."
Hughes is eyeing up an open 1600 metre event at the Ashburton meeting on 15 October as the preferred option for his charge who has now won five of his 16 career starts.
"I'm keen on the race at Ashburton as he goes well there but it will depend on what sort of track is presented," he advised.
"It can get very firm there so I wouldn't run him if it was like that. There is also a nice 1400 metre race on his home track a week after Ashburton so it is good to have that option as well.
"The track on Saturday was just perfect with a little give in it which is what he prefers. He went well in the Winter Cup on a heavy track but if he can get something more like Saturday's surface then he is going to be competitive in anything he lines up in."
Hughes was also delighted for apprentice Tanya Jonker who guided Bonaparte to an all-the-way win for the stable earlier in the day.
"I was rapt for Tanya as she did exactly what I asked her to do and she deserved to get the victory," he said.
"The horse had been a bit of a rogue in his early days but he put a couple of wins together at the end of his last campaign and has come up really well this time in.
"I don't think that will be his last win based on that performance." – NZ Racing Desk