Sunday’s Glenmoa Farms Ltd River Plate Trophy (1200m) at Oamaru is an unexpected detour for Epee Beel in her build-up to the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 2.
Epee Beel is a proven big-race performer over the course and distance of the Winter Cup, having taken out the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) last year and the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) in March. Trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman had no hesitation in pointing her towards the $110,000 feature on the opening day of this year’s Grand National Carnival.
However, their Winter Cup preparations hit a snag when Epee Beel missed a run at Ashburton on July 3. Torrential rain forced the meeting to be abandoned over visibility and safety concerns.
That means Epee Beel will instead line up in Sunday’s feature sprint at Oamaru. It will be the four-year-old mare’s first start since the Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) some 85 days earlier.
“She’s coming up really well,” Matthew Pitman said. “She’s heading towards the Winter Cup. She’s already won a couple of stakes races over 1600m at Riccarton, so that’s an obvious target.
“We had a little hiccup with the abandonment at Ashburton a couple of weeks ago. That was Plan A, so we’ve had to go to Plan B and go to Oamaru. The 1200m is certainly going to be short of her best on Sunday, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see her run a bold race fresh. It should set her up nicely for the Winter Cup in a couple of weeks.”
Epee Beel is one of three runners in Sunday’s $40,000 open sprint for the Pitman stable, who are also represented by Express Coup and Makabar.
Express Coup has won seven times over 1200m, including stylish wins at Timaru and Ashburton in two of her last three starts. She was a placegetter in her only previous visit to Oamaru.
“She’s in really good form at the moment and seems to be a happy horse,” Pitman said.
“As a three-year-old, she wasn’t far off some of the best of her age group down here in the South Island. We had a few setbacks in her next campaign, but those are behind her now. She’s very fit and she’s about as well as we’ve ever had her. Hopefully she can continue her good form this weekend.”
Makabar is a 10-race winner, with eight of those successes coming on heavy tracks.
“He often comes into form around this time of year,” Pitman said. “He’s done a good job at the Grand National Carnival, including winning the sprints on both Saturdays a couple of years ago. He’s also been a previous winner at Oamaru.
“His last-start run might not look very good on paper, but he had to come from last and we thought he was strong through the line. He seems to be progressing well towards another National Carnival.”
El Vaquero boasts standout credentials for Sunday’s One Smart Coffee 2YO (1200m). His last two starts have produced close seconds behind Te Akau Racing’s smart filly Cool Aza Rene, beaten by a head and a half-neck.
“Those were a couple of good efforts, and the field doesn’t appear to be as strong this weekend,” Pitman said. “He’s drawn one, which is always a big plus for a two-year-old.
“Only three horses in the field have exposed form, and he’s already beaten the other two, so on paper he looks very hard to beat.”
Pitman also gave a push for Proserve, who steps up in distance for Sunday’s Mariner Suites Oamaru (2200m).
“He was a good second over 1600m at Ashburton last time, where he was just a bit one-paced and outsprinted late over a distance that’s short of his best,” Pitman said.
“Going up to 2200m will be ideal. He’s probably one of our better chances on the day.”