Go Nicholas
Trish Dunell
Cambridge trainer Shelley Hale was adamant she would return to Ellerslie during Auckland Cup Week with promising intermediate galloper Go Nicholas after her charge had run out an impressive winner at the venue a fortnight ago.
Hale made good on that promise when the four-year-old Danroad gelding put in an even more eye-catching performance to down a quality field of rating 75 runners in the Barfoot & Thomson 1200 on Saturday, in the process lifting his career record to three wins from just five starts.
Results early in the day supported the theory that on-pace runners were favoured thus the chances of Go Nicholas looked a little forlorn when he settled three wide in the early running and was at least six to seven lengths off the leaders as they rounded the home bend.
Taken to the outside by rider Opie Bosson, Go Nicholas was still a good distance from the action at the 200 metre mark although he had begun to wind up strongly at that point. Several big bounds later and the result was a foregone conclusion as the gelding burst to the front to run away from his rivals in a smart 1.09.93 for the journey on a Dead 5 rated surface.
"I didn't know if he could do it today as he drew wide and it was a much tougher field than last time," noted Hale after the contest.
"If he could have run a nice placing I would have been thrilled to bits but man that was so good and it confirms we have a pretty exciting horse."
Hale was in two minds as to the path ahead with the gelding who doesn't distinguish himself on the training track between races.
"I'm not sure where to go with him now as he doesn't show you much at home," she said.
"He had shown us a little when he went to the trials but now he's been racing he just switches off at home and just does what he has to. He's hard to get a gauge on but while he is winning I'm very happy.
"I've been taking it one race at a time as he's still not furnished yet so you can only hope he can be an even better horse next season."
The winning time posted by Go Nicholas compared favourably with the other two 1200 metre contests run later on an improving track with No More Tears clocking 1.10.10 in the Gr. 3 Mr Tiz Trophy while Sacred Star scored in 1.09.56 in the Gr. 3 Darley Plate. – NZ Racing Desk
Hale made good on that promise when the four-year-old Danroad gelding put in an even more eye-catching performance to down a quality field of rating 75 runners in the Barfoot & Thomson 1200 on Saturday, in the process lifting his career record to three wins from just five starts.
Results early in the day supported the theory that on-pace runners were favoured thus the chances of Go Nicholas looked a little forlorn when he settled three wide in the early running and was at least six to seven lengths off the leaders as they rounded the home bend.
Taken to the outside by rider Opie Bosson, Go Nicholas was still a good distance from the action at the 200 metre mark although he had begun to wind up strongly at that point. Several big bounds later and the result was a foregone conclusion as the gelding burst to the front to run away from his rivals in a smart 1.09.93 for the journey on a Dead 5 rated surface.
"I didn't know if he could do it today as he drew wide and it was a much tougher field than last time," noted Hale after the contest.
"If he could have run a nice placing I would have been thrilled to bits but man that was so good and it confirms we have a pretty exciting horse."
Hale was in two minds as to the path ahead with the gelding who doesn't distinguish himself on the training track between races.
"I'm not sure where to go with him now as he doesn't show you much at home," she said.
"He had shown us a little when he went to the trials but now he's been racing he just switches off at home and just does what he has to. He's hard to get a gauge on but while he is winning I'm very happy.
"I've been taking it one race at a time as he's still not furnished yet so you can only hope he can be an even better horse next season."
The winning time posted by Go Nicholas compared favourably with the other two 1200 metre contests run later on an improving track with No More Tears clocking 1.10.10 in the Gr. 3 Mr Tiz Trophy while Sacred Star scored in 1.09.56 in the Gr. 3 Darley Plate. – NZ Racing Desk