Saracino
Trish Dunell
Speedy three-year-old Saracino is set to anchor a two-pronged Lib Petagna attack on next month's Gr.1 NRM Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa.
The Per Incanto colt, set to be joined by Gr.1 Australian Oaks winner Sofia Rosa in the weight-for-age feature, warmed up for his pending autumn campaign with a dominant trial win at Te Aroha on Tuesday.
"It was an outstanding trial by Saracino," leading jockey Matthew Cameron said. "I haven't ridden a horse with that much power in a while."
Petagna's racing manager Bruce Perry confirmed the NRM Sprint target for the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Saracino, who opened his three-year-old season with a weight-for-age Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate win at Te Rapa in August.
"Murray and Andrew are pretty happy with him. They'll just bring him along quietly and he'll go to Te Rapa for the sprint and then we'll see what happens after that. More than likely, he'll end up back in Australia," Perry said.
Saracino won the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington last September and went on to finish a creditable sixth in the blue-riband Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
The Stephen Marsh-trained Sofia Rosa has been freshened since a fruitless Melbourne spring campaign.
"Stephen is very happy with her and she'll go to the NRM Sprint as well," Perry said.
Petagna will shoot for back-to-back Australian Oaks wins with Eleonora, another to win impressively at Te Aroha on Tuesday.
"She's very unlikely to run in the Oaks here. She'll probably have one or two runs here, maybe one in the Lowland Stakes, and then she'll head to Sydney," Perry said.
"She can run in the Vinery Stakes and then go into the Australian Oaks. She's really developed a lot since Melbourne in the spring and hopefully she can take that next step but she really doesn't have to improve too much."
The Baker-Forsman-trained Eleonora won the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield in October before finishing third in the Gr.1 Victoria Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.
Petagna is still likely to have representation in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 11 with the Baker-Forsman-trained Nicoletta continuing her build-up to the Classic with a start in Saturday week's Gr.3 Wellfield Desert Gold Stakes. - NZ Racing Desk.
The Per Incanto colt, set to be joined by Gr.1 Australian Oaks winner Sofia Rosa in the weight-for-age feature, warmed up for his pending autumn campaign with a dominant trial win at Te Aroha on Tuesday.
"It was an outstanding trial by Saracino," leading jockey Matthew Cameron said. "I haven't ridden a horse with that much power in a while."
Petagna's racing manager Bruce Perry confirmed the NRM Sprint target for the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Saracino, who opened his three-year-old season with a weight-for-age Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate win at Te Rapa in August.
"Murray and Andrew are pretty happy with him. They'll just bring him along quietly and he'll go to Te Rapa for the sprint and then we'll see what happens after that. More than likely, he'll end up back in Australia," Perry said.
Saracino won the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington last September and went on to finish a creditable sixth in the blue-riband Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
The Stephen Marsh-trained Sofia Rosa has been freshened since a fruitless Melbourne spring campaign.
"Stephen is very happy with her and she'll go to the NRM Sprint as well," Perry said.
Petagna will shoot for back-to-back Australian Oaks wins with Eleonora, another to win impressively at Te Aroha on Tuesday.
"She's very unlikely to run in the Oaks here. She'll probably have one or two runs here, maybe one in the Lowland Stakes, and then she'll head to Sydney," Perry said.
"She can run in the Vinery Stakes and then go into the Australian Oaks. She's really developed a lot since Melbourne in the spring and hopefully she can take that next step but she really doesn't have to improve too much."
The Baker-Forsman-trained Eleonora won the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield in October before finishing third in the Gr.1 Victoria Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.
Petagna is still likely to have representation in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 11 with the Baker-Forsman-trained Nicoletta continuing her build-up to the Classic with a start in Saturday week's Gr.3 Wellfield Desert Gold Stakes. - NZ Racing Desk.
