Race Images Palmerston North
Joy Anna’s only previous visit to Taupo resulted in victory and the lightly-tried mare is expected to give another bold account of herself there on Wednesday.
The four-year-old, who beat the highly-regarded and subsequent winner Princess Kereru on the course in August, will chase further success in the Starlight Cinema Handicap (1000m).
“She’s talented and I’d expect her to go pretty close again,” Tauranga trainer Mark Blackie said.
“She’s thrived since her last run. In the last two weeks she might have done too well, but it’s only 1000m so she should get away with it.
“As long as she comes through the run well she’ll go to Rotorua 10 days later for a 1200m race.”
Joy Anna was an easy debut winner last season before a minor placing and she was then spelled after an unplaced run in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie.
“She pulled up lame and she’s had a few niggling problems, but she’s good now,” Blackie said.
He is part of a syndicate that races Joy Anna with the Hawkins family, who operate Wentwood Grange and bred the daughter of Iffraaj.
“She’s bred to go over more ground, but she shows so much speed and at the moment 1200m is probably her pet distance,” Blackie said.
“At the end of this campaign I’ll probably run her over 1400m and next time I think she’ll get a mile and we can look for some black type for her.”
Joy Anna will be ridden by the experienced Mark Hills, who has handled the mare in all of her race day outings. – NZ Racing Desk.