Trish Dunell
Dual Group One winner Danzdanzdance will kick-off her spring campaign in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on Saturday and her connections are hoping a gear change will aid the mare this weekend.
Trainers Chris Gibbs and Michelle Bradley elected to trial the five-year-old over 1000m at Avondale earlier this month to test the addition of a tongue-tie and they were satisfied with the hit-out.
“That’s basically the only reason why we trialled her,” Gibbs said.
“We didn’t want to go all the way down to Hastings with such a change in gear without trying it out first.
“It was really heavy that day, so I wasn’t expecting her to do anything crazy. She had a little blow and the main thing was that she settled with the tongue-tie on.”
Danzdanzdance got her tongue over the bit in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and Gibbs is hoping the addition of the tongue-tie will assist her performance on Saturday.
“She got her tongue over (the bit) badly in the race against Winx,” Gibbs said.
“Opie had a hell of a job just trying to settle her. I have a feeling she might have done it as far back as the Bonecrusher (Gr.1, 2000m).
“She didn’t really settle like she can do and she was pulling in the Ranvet (Gr.1, 2000m), so I don’t think we have seen the best of her to be honest.
“I am hoping that is going to work the oracle and we can get some better results out of her.”
While 1400m is short of her best distance, Gibbs is relatively confident heading into Saturday although he is wary of $2.70 favourite Endless Drama.
“I think you have got to be optimistic that we can be competitive over 1400m, we have got a mare who is good enough,” he said.
“Endless Drama, 1400m is his pet distance and he is coming off a wonderful win in the Foxbridge (Gr.2, 1200m).
“I am happy enough with the draw, we drew eight, so hopefully Lisa (Allpress, jockey) can just slot her in somewhere and get some cover and get her settled.
“The big thing is watching how she jumps and how she settles. If she does that I think we are a big chance.
“There is going to need to be a little bit of pace in it for us to come from where we are going to be.
“She does go very well fresh and I don’t think 1400m is beyond her.”
Meanwhile the Ruakaka-based training partnership will have another strong hand at their home meeting on Saturday where they will have nine runners.
Gibbs believes the stable has a handful of winning chances and said Hello It’s Me is a strong hope in the Harcourts Whangarei (1200m).
“Hello It’s Me is in beautiful order. I think she is a mare that we haven’t seen the best of because she has always had niggly problems.
“She is a difficult mare physically, but at the moment we have got her in good order. She may head down to the second and third day of Hastings.” – NZ Racing Desk