Roydon Bergerson will see a number of Central Districts racecourses over the coming week, with the busy period kicking off at Hawera’s rescheduled meeting on Tuesday.
The Awapuni-based trainer had entered two runners for the card set to run last Saturday, but after heavy rain and surface water on the course, the races were pushed back three days. The guarantee of a soft surface will pose no issue for Farravallo, who will represent the stable in the Property Management Specialist @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
In a compact field of just five runners, Farravallo is currently the second-elect in the market behind Lazio, who he defeated first-up in May when the pair filled the placings behind Ima Brazen One.
“He’s an open 1200m horse that enjoys the cut out of the track, so this was the right race for him,” Bergerson said. “I thought the field might be a bit small, so that’s why we put in the nomination.
“He’s really good, he’s bouncing and I’m really happy with his work.
“He’s rock-hard fit now.”
A winner of four races on either soft or heavy ground, the son of Belardo has been thereabouts since that resuming effort, and struck the worst part of the home straight last start at Trentham.
“I thought his run at Wellington was okay, I told Jimmy (Chung, jockey) to get to the outside where we had to be, but he didn’t get out there in time,” Bergerson said. “When he got out there in the end, he said he came on quite strongly.
“The track tied him up a bit in the last couple of runs, he just needs it a bit looser.
“He should go really well.”
Joining Farravallo on the journey west will be Wonderboy, who resumes off a long spell when lining up in the Sharna Caskey @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m).
A rising five-year-old by Sacred Falls, Wonderboy is raced by Bergerson and Chris Rutten, and the pair have allowed him plenty of time to mature, recording three placings from six starts over the last year.
“He’s coming up super really, he went very well at the jump-outs a couple of weeks ago, then Kelly (Myers) said he was really strong to the line in his trial,” Bergerson said.
“I see the horse that beat him (Sam’s Turn) won the other day on the poly, so that’s good form coming into a maiden race. He should get through the track, he’s a nice strong horse now that has taken a long time to mature.
“We’ve given him the time, so hopefully he can repay us this preparation.”
Bergerson intends to start Charlotte’s Way at his local synthetic meeting on Thursday, which could also feature Turn It Up, while last start winner Testing will head across to New Plymouth on Saturday.
“Charlotte’s Way has been a bit disappointing in her last couple of runs, she’s just not jumping out of the gates so I’ll try a change of jockey with her this time,” he said.
“I’ve got Turn It Up in the maiden 1000m, but she’s also entered at New Plymouth in the 1100m there.
“Testing is off to New Plymouth, she won nicely and has come through that race really well. It’s a good stake at New Plymouth and we know she’ll handle the track.
“I know she’s going up a grade into a Rating 75 1200m, but I think she’s quite a good galloper.”
Bergerson has elected to bypass Saturday’s Listed Sinclair and Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) with Bradman, with the gelding set to trial next Tuesday at Foxton before heading south for the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton.
The ever-consistent gelding finished an agonisingly tight third in last year’s edition, and this year, he’ll likely contend with a topweight with a rating of 97.
“He’s going to go to a trial at Foxton, then he’ll head down to Riccarton,” Bergerson said. “I think he’s had enough racing, so he’ll have a quiet trial and after a big trip down there, he should be ready to go.
“My only worry for him is the handicapper really, he’ll probably get 60 kilos and it’s hard to win at that weight. He ran well in this race last year, I thought he was a bit unlucky not to hold on after being checked around the 800m.
“He’s going down in the same form that he was in last year, so I’m pretty happy with him.”