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Matamata trainer Peter McKay is happy with his stable runner Stokers Rock leading into the ITM Interprovincial Challenge at New Plymouth on Saturday and believes he will benefit with the drop back in distance to 1600m.
The St Reims gelding has been racing over 2100 and 2200m in his last three starts, including a fourth-placing in the Listed Taumarunui Gold Cup and a most recent second at Te Rapa.
“Since I’ve had him I thought he would make a better stayer,” McKay said. “But at this stage I haven’t been able to win with him over ground.”
McKay believes Stokers Rock’s race fitness will benefit him over the shorter distance on the Heavy 10 track, but would like a shower of rain before Saturday.
“His record at the mile is pretty good,” he said. “I’m just hoping for a bit more rain to keep it a bit loose, but it looks like we are going to get a bit of dry weather so it could be some testing ground.
“He’s won at Christchurch over a mile on a Heavy 10 down there, so if he can handle those track conditions it might help him on Saturday, especially now he has had a few runs over ground.
“It is really testing on a horse running over a mile in those conditions, so a horse that has already been running 2000 to 2100m is going to be finding the line quite nicely. I’m pretty happy where he is.”
Stokers Rock is nominated for the Gr.1 Livamol Classic, but McKay said he would likely target the six-year-old toward the Gr.3 Metric Mile over 1550m at Awapuni on September 16. – NZ Racing Desk.