Canterbury gelding Matscot (NZ) (Haradasun) is once again set to fly the southern flag in the North Island next month when he crosses the Cook Strait to contest the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa.
The eight-year-old son of Haradasun ran third in the race last year, when it was run as the Arrowfield Stud Plate at Matamata, and trainers Sharon Robertson and Alan Reeves are looking forward to returning to Waikato with their charge in a bid to go two better in the mile feature.
Matscot made his first public appearance of the season when placing in his 1000m trial at Ashburton on Tuesday, pleasing his trainers ahead of what they hope to be lucrative campaign.
“He needed a day out because he had just been pottering through the mud at Riccarton,” Reeves said. “It was a nice hit-out for him to help bring him forward for the races coming up.
“He doesn’t take a lot of racing to bring him forward. He has his trial and his race and improves each time he goes around. He is pretty straight forward.”
Matscot will be kept local for his first-up assignment next month before trekking north for a hit-and-run mission. He will then return south for New Zealand Cup Week, where he was runner-up in the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) last year.
“There’s an open sprint at Riccarton on the 13th (of September), which he ran third in last year, and all going well he will go up for that mile at Te Rapa,” Reeves said. “He will then come back for Cup Week at Riccarton.
“Then we will assess how he is going for the race coming up around Christmas up north.”
While winless last term, Matscot, placed in four of his nine starts, including the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), Arrowfield Stud Plate and TAB Mile, and Reeves is hoping he can score a stakes scalp this season.
“If things go right this year, hopefully he will pick one up, you just need that little bit of luck on your shoulder,” he said.
Meanwhile, stablemate Hey Now will head to Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday where he will contest the Christchurch Casino 30th SI Awards – 12 September Rating 75 (1400m).
The seven-year-old gelding was victorious on the track two starts back before he was unplaced in the $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1200m), and Reeves believes a return to 1400m will suit.
“He is going well,” Reeves said. “He was a bit stiff the other day because the two who raced along up front, he went to go through a gap and the inside horse rolled out and Spartan rolled in on him. He wouldn’t have won it, but he would have finished a lot closer.
“He is up to a better trip tomorrow at 1400m and it is only a wee field. He is an honest fella, he gives his best every time he goes around.”
