Trish Dunell Photography
Awapuni galloper Ringo has been a late entry for the $200,000 Group I Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on Saturday.
Ringo was a Group III winner over 1400m at Hastings last spring and ran third in the Group I Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) in December. He was also runner-up in the Group II Coupland’s Mile at Riccarton.
The Fastnet Rock gelding is trained by Mike Breslin and has had two trials since being placed at weight-for-age at Queen’s Birthday weekend.
The weight-for-age Tarzino Trophy will be the high point of Daffodil Raceday, which opens the Bostock New Zealand spring carnival at Hastings.
The Tarzino will have a capacity field and promises to provide a spectacular start to spring racing.
Eight Group I winners - Kawi, Gingernuts, Thee Auld Floozie, Aide Memoire, Perfect Fit, Sofia Rosa, Rangipo and Luna Rossa - were among the 27 horses left in the field on Tuesday.
Adding to the quality of the field for the first Group I race of the season will be the Group II winners Volpe Veloce, Coldplay, Underthemoonlight and Stolen Dance, the multiple Group I placegetter Authentic Paddy and former Hong Kong galloper Packing Eagle.
Stolen Dance, who has been runner-up in three Group I races, will be having her first start for leading trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman.
Packing Eagle, who raced in Hong Kong as Packing Pins, will be fitter for his Foxbridge Plate run this month, which was his first race since December. The seven-year-old won six races in Hong Kong, five of them at 1400m, and finished a game third, behind Japanese star Maurice, in the Group I Champions Mile in May last year.
Volpe Veloce, who has won eight of her nine starts, was a $3 favourite in fixed odds betting on Tuesday, with Kawi, who is seeking a hat-trick of wins in the race, at $3.50 and the only other runner at single-figure odds.
The final field of 16 runners for the Tarzino, with up to four ballots, will be declared on Wednesday morning.
Those who are not yet certain to make the field include Foxbridge Plate runner-up Close Up and Opunake Cup winner Longchamp, who ran fourth in the Tarzino last year.