Runaway last-start winner Honey Badger will head to Te Rapa on Saturday as a hot favourite for the Ambient Group 3YO (1100m), where another big performance could earn her a black-type opportunity at Tauranga next month.
Honey Badger has shown a real affinity for heavy tracks, with both of her two career victories coming in those conditions. That includes a spectacular performance at Rotorua on May 10, where she blew her Rating 65 opposition away by eight and a half lengths.
Trainer Tony Pike is open to the possibility of the El Roca filly taking on older mares in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) on June 21.
“We’ll see how she goes tomorrow before making any plans, but if she happened to win well, we’d certainly give consideration to trying her out at weight-for-age at Tauranga,” Pike said.
“She’d run a couple of good races on drier tracks (fifth and fourth at on Soft5 tracks at Te Rapa on April 13 and April 26), but she obviously has a real preference for that rain-affected going. She got that at Rotorua last start, and you don’t often see horses win as impressively as she did that day.
“With the rain we’ve been having over the last few days, she’ll have suitable conditions again tomorrow, albeit a rise in class. She’s a short-priced favourite and probably deserves that on the strength of her last-start performance.
“She came through the Rotorua run in fantastic order and has worked very well through the week.”
Honey Badger will be joined on the float to Te Rapa by her stablemate Cast Of Diamonds, who is a similarly warm favourite for the Wright Civil (2200m).
The four-year-old son of Eminent has finished second in his last two starts over 2100m and 2200m, beaten by a long neck and a short head.
“He’s racing really well,” Pike said. “He went down by a very narrow margin at Rotorua last start. This looks like an ideal race for him, probably a touch easier than what he came up against last time, and he looks close to a win.”
Honey Badger and Cast Of Diamonds could be the start of a notable long weekend for Pike, who also has a pair of highly regarded two-year-olds entered for the Mlaadi Laurich (1150m) at Te Aroha on Monday.
Happy Youmzain and Cream Tart both come from the first crop of Hello Youmzain. The Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion is also the sire of Pike’s Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) winner Lucy In The Sky.
Cream Tart finished second on debut at Matamata on May 14. She was beaten by a neck by Alacritous, with four and a quarter lengths back to the third placegetter.
This will be the first raceday appearance for Happy Youmzain, who has recorded a win and three placings from four appearances at the trials.
“They’re both going really well,” Pike said. “Cream Tart impressed me with that debut performance at Matamata. She might have just got the front a little bit soon there, but fought very well. Happy Youmzain has really pleased us at the trials. “We’ll assess what happens with the weather and track conditions between now and then, but as long as the ground isn’t too testing, they’ll head there on Monday as a couple of very nice chances.”