Meaningful Star (Pivotal) shone brightly last Saturday when runner-up in the Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1530m) and he could now get the opportunity to defend his crown in the Gr.3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday week.
The seasoned campaigner rocketed home late and came within a short head of usurping Agera in the Tauranga Stakes, pleasing part-owner and co-trainer Grant Cooksley.
“It was a good run. A couple of more strides and he would have been in front,” said Cooksley, who trains in partnership with Bruce Wallace. “He just doesn’t really like racing between horses, he needs a bit of room.”
Cooksley has been happy with the way his nine-year-old gelding has come through the run and is now eyeing the Great Northern Challenge Stakes, a race he won last year in just his third start in New Zealand.
“He has come through it well,” Cooksley said. “We might go to Ellerslie next week, we will just wait and see.”
The Irish-bred son of Pivotal has seen a fair bit of the globe, having raced in his homeland and Hong Kong before arriving in New Zealand last year. He has won eight and placed in 11 of his 42 starts to date and earned nearly $1.8 million in prizemoney.
Meanwhile, Cooksley is set to have a strong hand at Pukekohe on Saturday, where he will line-up half a dozen runners, including Group One performer Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who will contest the Gr.3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m).
The six-year-old entire will be fresh-up in the Pukekohe sprint feature, having last raced when last in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie in September.
Cooksley said he had a torrid run from his wide alley in the Proisir Plate, and he is ruling a line through that performance.
“He sat five and six deep the whole way. It was just one of those races, you couldn’t do anything about it,” he said.
The Byerley Park trainer has been pleased with Sacred Satono’s work ahead of the weekend, where he will be looking to continue his good run of form in the Counties Bowl, having won it in 2023, and finished runner-up in 2022 and 2024.
“He has been working well so we will see what happens,” Cooksley said.
Following his weekend assignment, Sacred Satono will be chasing an elusive elite-level scalp over summer, having previously placed in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m).
Cooksley will also be chasing stakes success on Saturday with Moving Melody (Deep Field) in the Gr.2 Dunstan Feeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).
The lightly-tried five-year-old mare heads into the race in pleasing form, having placed in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) at Pukekohe earlier this month, and Cooksley is confident of another bold showing.
“She has come through her race well and the 1400m will probably suit her,” he said. “She hasn’t gone backwards, so she will be right there.”
Cooksley will be represented on the undercard by last-start winner Toruk Makto in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1600, He’s Classic in the Franklin Long Roofing 2100, Staphanos Queen in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Qualifier (1400m), while Sacred Combatant is dual nominated for the Franklin Long Roofing 2100 and Show By SkyCity 1600.
“1400m will suit Staphanos Queen, she hasn’t had a run for three-and-a-half weeks,” Cooksley said. “She is good and is working well.
“Toruk Makto has improved on the run so he should be thereabouts.
“He’s Classic has had two runs over a mile and is up to 2100m, which will suit him. It was a pretty good run last time.
“Sacred Combatant got back in a really slow run race the other day but got home well. He is in the mile and 2100m, so it depends on what one he gets into.”