Bill Thurlow and Sam O’Malley are setting their sights on a return to Group One competition with Whangaehu (NZ) (Proisir) after a pleasing trial at Woodville on Tuesday.
The well-performed Proisir gelding was required to trial to the satisfaction of the stewards after his last-start eighth in the Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham in October, where he was slow to leave the starting gate and reluctant to hit out in the early stages of the race.
Thurlow and O’Malley got what they were hoping for on Tuesday as Whangaehu began cleanly and ran on for fourth in a 1000m heat won by Silent Is Gold.
“The main thing was we needed to get the tick of approval from the stewards,” O’Malley said. “He actually jumped away really well. He lacked a little bit of speed through the middle stages of the trial, but they were getting along pretty quickly on a good track.
“He really needs to go at least 2000m these days, so he was always going to be a bit outpaced over that trip, but he was working home nicely late.”
Whangaehu measured up in strong company last summer, winning the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) before finishing third in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and fourth in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
“It’s a bit hard to set a programme for him to get to some of the good races from here,” O’Malley said. “We probably have to stick to weight-for-age now.
“The Zabeel Classic (Gr.1, 2000m) on Boxing Day might come up a little bit soon for him now, but it’s a possibility, and then we’ll try to follow through those other 2000m weight-for-age races through the rest of the summer.”
Meanwhile, the Thurlow/O’Malley stable is set to have dual representation in Saturday’s Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) at Trentham with Field Of Gold (Starspangledbanner) and Frank The Tank (NZ) (Burgundy).
“They both galloped well this morning,” O’Malley said. “I think Frank The Tank is a really nice up-and-coming horse. He might go to another level in this campaign if he stays sound.
“The old boy Field Of Gold, I thought his run was okay the other day at Waverley, but he was just a bit outpaced over 1200m. Maybe 1400m is his sweet spot, and he goes well at Trentham.”