Dealt With stamped himself as one of the most exciting three-year-old prospects last season, earning himself a slot in the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), but he was withdrawn at the 11th hour through injury.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for his connections, with the son of Ace High looking a strong contender after previously winning his first two starts before placing in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m).
Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood have taken a patient approach with his return and they are looking forward to him resuming his career at Otaki on Sunday in the Levin Truck Services Levin Stakes (1200m).
“He had multiple soundness issues and it has been a long, slow process but hopefully we are back for the long haul,” James said.
“He is certainly in nice order, albeit he is a big, burly fellow and he will derive considerable improvement out of the run on Sunday.”
Dealt With finished runner-up in his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale last month, and James expects him to race kindlier from barrier two this weekend.
“It was typical him, he was bull-headed, bullish and hard going, but I think with that trial under his belt he will be more amiable on Sunday,” James said. “He has drawn well enough to help him a little bit in that regard.”
Dealt With was replaced in the NZB Kiwi by stablemate Zormella, who returned to form when runner-up over a mile at Pukekohe this month, and James is hoping she can go one better in the Treadwell Gordon 1600 at Wanganui on Saturday.
“It was one of those races where she got there very easily and then floated around a little bit and got run down late,” James said. “It was still a good run and she has trained on very well since.”
Zormella will have plenty of supporters this weekend courtesy of her Frac Club micro-share syndicate, and James is looking forward to another micro-share horse in Incandescent making his debut in the Independent Traffic Control 1100 at Ellerslie on Saturday for MyRacehorse.
The son of Per Incanto was purchased by TAB Racing Club out of Little Avondale Stud’s Book 1 Yearling Sale draft at Karaka earlier this year for $200,000 and was quickly snapped up by MyRacehorse when the TAB Racing Club began its dispersal.
He was runner-up in his 900m trial at Taupo last month and has opened an equal $3.70 favourite for his debut alongside the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Dashing Dixie.
While James wasn’t expecting his juvenile gelding to be dominating the early market, he does have plenty of time for him and is hopeful of tackling some lofty targets later this season.
“He has opened up favourite, which does surprise me,” he said. “I hope he is a Karaka Millions (1200m) prospect, but I see him more as a 1400 to 1600m horse.”
James is also looking forward to heading to Ellerslie on Saturday with Sweynesday, who will resume in the Harrisons 1100.
The five-year-old gelding has been a model of consistency so far in his career, winning three and placing in three of his six starts to date.
He hasn’t been sighted on raceday since his runner-up effort over 1200m at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, with his trainers taking a cautious approach with his return after battling soundness issues.
Their patience looks to have paid off, with the son of Sweynesse winning his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale earlier this month.
Sweynesday is nominated for the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in January, and his connections are hoping he continues his upward trajectory towards that elite-level target.
“He has always been a talented galloper,” James said. “I thought his trial was very good and his work since has been very good as well.
“He has got 61kg on his back, but we have chosen to claim three (courtesy of apprentice jockey Sam McNab), and that should level it out a little bit. He goes into the race in great order.
“His form line is very good and he has done nothing wrong in his career other than the fact that he had an unusual soundness issue last season, hence the long time between runs. We are very happy that he is back to the form that he was when he went out.”
He will be joined on Saturday by stablemate Osteria, who was victorious over 1300m at Tauranga earlier this month.
“Osteria probably hasn’t got the same talent as Sweynesday, but is weighted (56.5kg) accordingly,” James said.
“There is no reason why he can’t pop up and be competitive in a field like this.
“He is an interesting horse. We tried him once over 1400m when he was perhaps a bit of a weaker horse and it could be a road that we take with him as we get deeper into the season.”
Meanwhile, James said the stable’s star mare Orchestral suffered an atrial fibrillation when 10th in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and they are currently working through her next steps.
“She fibrillated on Saturday and she hasn’t gone quite in the direction we had hoped since,” he said. “We are right in the midst of addressing what we do from here, but hopefully by the middle of next week we have got more positive news on that.”