Sampson
Race Images Palmerston North
Howie Mathews won the Brisbane Cup more than a quarter of a century ago and he harbours a long-term desire for another crack at the Eagle Farm feature.
The Otaki trainer produced Coshking to claim top honours in 1989, a time when the then two mile event carried Group One status.
Coshking was an outstanding stayer who also won the Gr.2 Dalgety Handicap at Flemington, finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup and third in the Gr.1 The Metropolitan. He also twice finished fourth in the Wellington Cup, when it too was a Group One race.
While Mathews' current staying hope Sampson won't reach those heights, he is a quality performer with six wins. He has also placed in the Gr.2 Wellington Cup and in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup.
"My dream would be to take him to Brisbane next year," Mathews said. "He's a lovely staying horse, a very good front-runner."
Mathews once again showed he knew the right type of horse to succeed in Queensland when he took the stakes-performed Poste Restante there and she finished third in the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate.
"I left her over there with Desleigh Forster and she won another five races with the mare," he said.
In the shorter-term, Sampson will drop back in trip for Saturday's Gr.3 Thompson Handicap at Trentham.
"I've freshened him up and that's a winnable race for him and it's worth a bit of money ($70,000)," Mathews said.
"After that I'll probably be looking at the Wellington and Auckland Cups and there's options up north – races like the Waikato and Counties Cups and the City of Auckland Cup." – NZ Racing Desk.
The Otaki trainer produced Coshking to claim top honours in 1989, a time when the then two mile event carried Group One status.
Coshking was an outstanding stayer who also won the Gr.2 Dalgety Handicap at Flemington, finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup and third in the Gr.1 The Metropolitan. He also twice finished fourth in the Wellington Cup, when it too was a Group One race.
While Mathews' current staying hope Sampson won't reach those heights, he is a quality performer with six wins. He has also placed in the Gr.2 Wellington Cup and in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup.
"My dream would be to take him to Brisbane next year," Mathews said. "He's a lovely staying horse, a very good front-runner."
Mathews once again showed he knew the right type of horse to succeed in Queensland when he took the stakes-performed Poste Restante there and she finished third in the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate.
"I left her over there with Desleigh Forster and she won another five races with the mare," he said.
In the shorter-term, Sampson will drop back in trip for Saturday's Gr.3 Thompson Handicap at Trentham.
"I've freshened him up and that's a winnable race for him and it's worth a bit of money ($70,000)," Mathews said.
"After that I'll probably be looking at the Wellington and Auckland Cups and there's options up north – races like the Waikato and Counties Cups and the City of Auckland Cup." – NZ Racing Desk.