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Allan Sharrock is rueing a missed golden opportunity with his seven-time Group One winner Kawi.
The New Plymouth trainer has been forced to withdraw his star galloper from Saturday’s Gr.2 Kamada Park Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni, a weight-for-age feature he was ultra-confident of winning.
“It wasn’t originally on his programme, but I thought it was an easy $100,000 race,” Sharrock said.
“The scary thing was that he had been galloping better this week than he was before the Captain Cook – they’d have needed a tow rope to beat him.
“Unfortunately, he’s got a stone bruise and I’m not prepared to risk him.
“Maybe it’s the Good Lord saying freshen him up for the Telegraph. It’s seven weeks to the Thorndon and that’s too big a gap, there’s nowhere else to run him before that – he’d get 65kg in a handicap.
“Perhaps it’s a sign, go for the Telegraph and put the hood on him.”
The Gr.1 JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m) will be run on January 20 at Trentham where Kawi won the the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) earlier this month. – NZ Racing Desk.