Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston will have a strong hand at his home track’s synthetic meeting on Thursday, with 10 stable runners to go around.
He will have a three-pronged attack in the Book A Suite Mid-Winter Xmas Races 21 June Rating 65 (1400m), spearheaded by Tough Time.
The five-year-old gelding was in pleasing form over summer, winning his last two outings, and will look to pick up where he left off when first-up on Thursday, where he will jump from barrier five with jockey Leah Hemi aboard.
“He was really good over summer and won a race on the poly last year,” Carston said. “He has come up well, unfortunately he missed the run the other day when they put the races off.
“He is probably a run away, but I am happy enough with him.”
He will be joined in the race by stable newcomer Tossuforit, who will have her first raceday start on a synthetic surface.
Previously trained in Cambridge by Stephen Marsh, the daughter of Zoustar just missed out on attaining black-type as a three-year-old, running fourth in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1200m).
While she continued her consistent run into her four-year-old season, owner Trelawney Stud believed she was better placed in the South Island and she joined Carston’s stable last month, finishing eighth in her stable debut over 1000m on a Heavy 10 surface at Riccarton.
Carston is ruling a line through that first effort and is looking forward to testing her on Riccarton’s polytrack this week.
“She has come on well,” he said. “She didn’t cope with the very heavy track first-up for us. She has drawn a bad gate (16) on Thursday and is going to need a lot of luck.”
The four-year-old mare has made a good impression on Carston in the short time she has been in the stable, and he is particularly excited about her prospects in the spring.
“I like her,” he said. “I think she is going to be a nice mare into the spring. We just decided to give her a run on the poly, she has trialled on the poly and won quite well in the past, so we will head to Thursday and there’s a chance she could go to the paddock and be back for the spring.”
Carston’s trio of runners in the race will be rounded out by Seven Twenty, who is first-up after last racing in February.
“She has a bit of polytrack form too. She is first-up after a little while off, so she will improve with the run,” Carston said.
Of his remaining runners, Carston is particularly upbeat about the chances of Sincere in the Firefighters Challenge – Phil Leabourn Rating 75 (2200m), Delmonico in the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Rating 65 (1600m), and Thats Charming in the Grand National Tickets On Sale Now Rating 65 (1200m).
“Sincere has got a really good polytrack record,” Cartson said. “I think he is going to be a good chance. His run on the grass first-up was really good. I expect him to run well.
“Delmonico was really good the other day and he will run well in the last. “Thats Charming is fresh-up in the 65 1200m. He loved the polytrack last year, so I am excited to get him back on it.”