Robert Dennis is heading to Riccarton on Saturday on the brink of a career milestone, but the change in surface for the 10-race card has put the Ascot Park trainer in unknown territory.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing statistics credit Dennis with 99 winners from 814 career runners. His hopes of a 100th winner on Saturday rest with Sacred Dream (NZ) (Sacred Falls) in the Hornby Club Founders Cup (2200m), Miss Layla (NZ) (Burgundy) in the Avon City Ford Easter Cup (1600m), Azilee Star (NZ) (Tivaci) in the Listed Berkley Stud Chapagne Stakes (1200m) and The Cluster (NZ) (Ghibellines) in the Riccarton Park Function Centre Rating 75 (2100m).
“We’ve had three second placings since we hit 99, so it would be nice to crack three figures,” Dennis said. “I’m not too sure whether it’s going to happen tomorrow, but it’ll come and it’ll be a good milestone for the stable when it does.”
Torrential rain in Canterbury over the last few days has forced Saturday’s meeting to be switched to the Riccarton synthetic track – a surface none of the four Dennis-trained runners have raced on before.
“There’s definitely a bit of guesswork involved there,” Dennis said. “Sacred Dream had a couple of trials on the synthetic track at Cambridge earlier in her career and handled it okay, but we have no real indication apart from that.
“We have previously won on the synthetic track with horses that haven’t raced or trialled on it before, so they can take to it quickly. That gives us a little bit of encouragement.”
Sacred Dream is backing up from last Saturday’s Riccarton meeting, where she fought hard for a second placing over 2600m. She was beaten by one length in that race by Malfy Rosa (NZ) (Burgundy).
Both horses are back for a rematch in the Founders Cup. Sacred Dream had a 60.5kg topweight last week, which dropped to 56.5kg with Teddy Ladouceur’s claim. The daughter of Sacred Falls will carry 55.5kg this time and will be ridden by Samantha Wynne.
“It was a good run last Saturday, and she drops in weight this time and has a senior rider on board,” Dennis said. “She’s fit and well. She’s coming to the end of her campaign now, but she stayed in Christchurch after last Saturday and has had a good week here. Hopefully she has one more good run in her in this preparation.”
Miss Layla steps up in class for the Easter Cup, having scored an impressive last-start Rating 75 win at her home track on April 6.
“That was a very good win and she did it the tough way,” Dennis said. “She was wide with no cover the whole way, but was dominant in the end and never really gave the others a look in.
“This is obviously a step up in class, but it appears the field has fallen away with the switch to the synthetic. Spacing her races out seems to work well with this mare.”
Two-year-old Tivaci filly Azilee Star will line up for the third race of her career in the Champagne Stakes. She was doing her best work late when seventh over 1100m on debut, then improved markedly for a strong-finishing fourth over the same distance at Riverton on April 19.
“She’s probably one I would have preferred to see on a wet and testing turf track and going down the chute,” Dennis said. “She would have handled it, while it might have tripped up a few of the others.
“But she’s an improving filly and this is a black-type race worth $80,000. We might as well give her this opportunity just before the end of her campaign.”
The Cluster’s last appearance was in the $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge (1600m) on April 12, where he blew the start but recovered well to finish a close eighth.
“He’s often his own worst enemy and lets himself down at the jump,” Dennis said. “He ended up five or six lengths behind the second-last horse in the Southern Alps, but got to within three lengths of the winner at the finish, so it was a massive run in the end.
“He’s a seven-year-old now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a better horse again next season. It’ll be interesting to see how he goes on the synthetic. He’ll be wearing the visor blinkers instead of normal blinkers.”