The rescheduling of Monday’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) to Saturday at Tauranga could rule both of Andrew Forsman’s pair out of a trip south for New Zealand Cup Week.
Forsman was set to line-up stakes placegetter Quondo and the lightly-tried Virgo Viva at Te Rapa on Labour Day, but the meeting was abandoned after a horse slipped turning for home in race two.
As for many of the Sarten contenders, it was a crucial final step towards the Guineas races at Riccarton, with the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) now almost certainly off the table for Virgo Viva (NZ) (Ribchester).
“It’s not ideal timing-wise for Virgo Viva, we really thought she was a Guineas potential as far as the 1000 Guineas is concerned, but it makes it a little difficult now,” Forsman said.
“She’ll run on Saturday, and we’ll work it out, but given the timing, it will probably be too difficult to get her down to Christchurch. It is a shame, but she still has to prove she’s up to it.”
The Ribchester filly won on debut at Taupo earlier in October, with the third-placegetter in that race Belle Cheval subsequently shooting into Guineas contention with a big win at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Her stablemate Quondo (Wootton Bassett) is still a possibility for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) a week later, having placed behind Magic Carpet last start in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).
The prospect of a soft surface at Tauranga is a positive for Quondo, who was set to start second-favourite for take one of the Sarten behind He Who Dares.
“For Quondo, he would’ve probably appreciated a little bit of time between runs and the slower track would’ve advantaged him more than others, so it’ll be interesting to see how the track comes up on Saturday,” Forsman said.
“It (the 2000 Guineas) is a possibility, but again, going down south is a hard ask and it’s not the be-all and end-all. There are a lot of nice races up closer to home, so we’ll see how he performs on Saturday and work that out.”
Also on the Tauranga card, Forsman believes his talented mare Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) can bounce back from a tough run in the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera when she contests the Bayleys Mount Maunganui 1300.
“She’s come through it fine, it was just too deep and testing,” he said. “She jumped well, then raced a bit keenly on a very tough track.
“I think she does appreciate a track with a bit of give in it, but clearly not as heavy as it was last time. The way she’s worked, I think she can bounce back.”
Dual-stakes performer Kitty Flash (NZ) (Ace High) will return to raceday after a 10-month absence in the Chook and Lisa Married Today (1200m), with two tidy trial efforts under her belt.
As a three-year-old, the daughter of Ace High placed in a Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m) behind Alabama Lass and Savaglee respectively, arguably the best horses of that crop.
“She’s been a long time off the races, but I’m really happy with how she’s going,” Forsman said.
“I think she’ll run really well fresh-up, but with good improvement for a horse that hasn’t been to the races for so long. Generally, you think they’re going well, but they might just need one first time out.
“She went to Melbourne in the spring (last year) and was all ready for an autumn preparation there but just got a little bit sore. She started to feel the firm tracks and physically we just had to back off and give her a bit of time.”
Another returning in a fresh state will be Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan), who represents Forsman’s Flemington barn when stepping out at Bendigo on Wednesday.
A winner of the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) last December, Yaldi performed solidly in age-group company in Melbourne through the autumn and resumes off two jump-outs in a Benchmark 78 race over 1100m.
“We know he’s got good ability and jump-outs are one thing, but raceday is another,” Forsman said.
“We’re probably looking to kick him off at a distance short of his best, with the idea that he can settle off them, they go quickly and he can hit the line well.
“I think 1400m is going to be his go, he was very competitive in those three-year-old races in the autumn but was just carrying a lot of weight. Now that he is in a rating band, hopefully we can work him through the grades and see how we go as an older horse.”