Longchamp
Race Images Palmerston North
Injury plagued sprinter Longchamp showed what he is capable of when fully fit as he produced a dominant performance to score handsomely over 1200 metres at Wanganui on the weekend.
Placed at Group Two level as a three-year-old when third to Turn Me Loose in the Hawkes Bay Guineas, the now four-year-old Tavistock gelding has been beset by niggling knee problems that have seen him spend considerable time on the sidelines.
Although trainer Andrew Campbell rates him as a day-to-day proposition, he does believe there is a feature race win in the gelding's future.
"He has plenty of ability and it's just a shame he has had his problems along the way as I really do rate him," he noted.
"He's a very handy sprinter who I think can get up to a mile later on but it will all depend on how we can manage him to get the best from him."
Campbell went into Saturday's rating 75 contest with plenty of confidence although that was dented early on in the piece when his charge was well back in the early running.
"I wanted him to get handy early on as they weren't winning from the back so when he was seven or eight lengths from the leaders as they came to the turn I was a little concerned," he said.
"All credit to young Tim Johnson though as he didn't panic and got him into a challenging position up the fence and the horse did the rest.
"He even pricked his ears about 100 metres off the post so he did it well in what was a pretty good field."
Campbell will now sit down with longtime stable client Tommy Heptinstall, who shares in the ownership of the gelding with a large group of friends, and discuss the possible winter options for their $40,000 purchase from Cambridge Stud's 2013 Karaka Yearling Sale draft.
"Tommy and I will have a chat about where we should go although you won't see him again for a month as we have to space his races like that to ease the pressure on his knees," he said.
"If he could win his next start then a race like the Winter Cup at Riccarton would have to be on our radar as I think he's good enough to compete at that level."
Campbell also confirmed that stablemate Francome would now head to the spelling paddock after finishing well back in the last race of the day when failing to cope with the heavy track. – NZ Racing Desk
Placed at Group Two level as a three-year-old when third to Turn Me Loose in the Hawkes Bay Guineas, the now four-year-old Tavistock gelding has been beset by niggling knee problems that have seen him spend considerable time on the sidelines.
Although trainer Andrew Campbell rates him as a day-to-day proposition, he does believe there is a feature race win in the gelding's future.
"He has plenty of ability and it's just a shame he has had his problems along the way as I really do rate him," he noted.
"He's a very handy sprinter who I think can get up to a mile later on but it will all depend on how we can manage him to get the best from him."
Campbell went into Saturday's rating 75 contest with plenty of confidence although that was dented early on in the piece when his charge was well back in the early running.
"I wanted him to get handy early on as they weren't winning from the back so when he was seven or eight lengths from the leaders as they came to the turn I was a little concerned," he said.
"All credit to young Tim Johnson though as he didn't panic and got him into a challenging position up the fence and the horse did the rest.
"He even pricked his ears about 100 metres off the post so he did it well in what was a pretty good field."
Campbell will now sit down with longtime stable client Tommy Heptinstall, who shares in the ownership of the gelding with a large group of friends, and discuss the possible winter options for their $40,000 purchase from Cambridge Stud's 2013 Karaka Yearling Sale draft.
"Tommy and I will have a chat about where we should go although you won't see him again for a month as we have to space his races like that to ease the pressure on his knees," he said.
"If he could win his next start then a race like the Winter Cup at Riccarton would have to be on our radar as I think he's good enough to compete at that level."
Campbell also confirmed that stablemate Francome would now head to the spelling paddock after finishing well back in the last race of the day when failing to cope with the heavy track. – NZ Racing Desk