Heavens Keep
Trish Dunell
It may be a quantum leap from a midweek meeting at New Plymouth to Group One company, but it's a challenge Lucy Tanner believes Heavens Keep can rise to.
The Awapuni trainer has an ambitious plan in place for her promising five-year-old, who will step out in the Landmark Homes Handicap at Thursday's Taranaki meeting.
"The reason we're going to New Plymouth is that it's the only place to get him up over a bit of extra distance to 1800 metres, there's no suitable 2000 metre races around," Tanner said.
"He'll probably have one or two more runs before he goes out and then I want to get him back for the Spring Classic at Hastings."
Heavens Keep broke his maiden in November and he has since notched a further three wins, including a defeat of the Group-winning filly Mime at Trentham, and he was a last-start second to the progressive mare Mary Quant.
"He got a bit too far back at Matamata and the race was set up for Mary Quant," Tanner said.
"I was still very happy with my horse and he has come through the race well.
"He is absolutely thriving on racing and he's not showing any sign of tiredness. He had a bit of a freshen-up since his last run and he's full of himself."
Tanner believed Heavens Keep would continue to improve with age and over more ground.
"He was quite tough as a younger horse and he had to get his head around what racing was all about," she said. "In the early days he was doing a lot of things wrong.
"He's by Savabeel and he will get better as he goes along." – NZ Racing Desk.
The Awapuni trainer has an ambitious plan in place for her promising five-year-old, who will step out in the Landmark Homes Handicap at Thursday's Taranaki meeting.
"The reason we're going to New Plymouth is that it's the only place to get him up over a bit of extra distance to 1800 metres, there's no suitable 2000 metre races around," Tanner said.
"He'll probably have one or two more runs before he goes out and then I want to get him back for the Spring Classic at Hastings."
Heavens Keep broke his maiden in November and he has since notched a further three wins, including a defeat of the Group-winning filly Mime at Trentham, and he was a last-start second to the progressive mare Mary Quant.
"He got a bit too far back at Matamata and the race was set up for Mary Quant," Tanner said.
"I was still very happy with my horse and he has come through the race well.
"He is absolutely thriving on racing and he's not showing any sign of tiredness. He had a bit of a freshen-up since his last run and he's full of himself."
Tanner believed Heavens Keep would continue to improve with age and over more ground.
"He was quite tough as a younger horse and he had to get his head around what racing was all about," she said. "In the early days he was doing a lot of things wrong.
"He's by Savabeel and he will get better as he goes along." – NZ Racing Desk.