Dude primed for Spring Classic

BY AIDAN RODLEY

Cambridge stayer Ginga Dude is baying for blood.

The Istidaad seven-year-old showed he was feeling perky when he took a playful nip at trainer Graeme Boyd after scoring a ridiculously easy 1150m trial win at Te Awamutu on Tuesday.

The bite drew blood and left Boyd none too happy, but that was the only thing he wasn't pleased about as last year's Gr I Kelt Capital Stakes runner-up confirmed his readiness to resume a new campaign aimed at going one better in the weight-for-age Hastings feature, to be known as the Spring Classic this year.

''Everything's going to plan at the moment,'' said Boyd, who races last season's Avondale Cup winner with his partner Raewyn Yovich.

''He's been in a long time. We brought him in mid-May and he's done a lot of quiet work clocking up the miles.''

Tuesday's trial win was Ginga Dude's second in as many appearances this month, having cruised to a three-quarters of a length 1000m open heat win at Te Teko on August 12 for rider Alvin Ng.

Ng was aboard again on Tuesday and did all he was required, angling Ginga Dude out of the trail on straightening and coasting to the line without any sign of coaxing to beat White Knight by a neck.

Boyd said Ginga Dude would resume in the 1400m open handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday week and he would assess that run before deciding whether to give the winner of 10 of his 30 starts another leadup to the Spring Classic on October 2, for which he is currently listed at $16 to win on the TAB's fixed-odds market.

Ginga Dude won the same Ellerslie open handicap last season before placing in the Listed Karaka Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe two weeks before the Kelt.

He has not raced since pulling a muscle in his hindquarters when unplaced in the Gr I Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on December 26, a start after his Avondale Cup win for rider Michael Walker.

Boyd has yet to confirm a rider for Ginga Dude's spring campaign which could yet include a tilt at the A$2.5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 16.

''All going well we'll head to Australia with him for the Caulfield Cup but he's got to perform at Hastings first,'' Boyd said.

Te Awamutu filly Smoulder underlined her spring prospects with a sizzling five-length triumph in the other 1150m open heat on Tuesday for rider Chad Ormsby.

The last-start winner of the Listed Foal Stakes at Ellerslie in May is set to chase her fourth successive win when she contests the Listed $45,000 Wanganui Guineas (1340m) on Saturday week.

Trainers Graeme and Mark Sanders had entered the Dick Karreman-owned Traditionally three-year-old for Ellerslie last Saturday but scratched when the track came up a heavy 11.

''It would have been too tough for her first-up,'' Graeme Sanders said after Tuesday's trial.

''She's been ready for a long while but there's no hurry. She's got patient trainers and a patient owner.''

Sanders said following her resumption at Wanganui, Smoulder would be set for ''all the big races'' including the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November.

Fellow Guineas hopeful Icepin delighted Matamata trainer Jason Bridgman with his 1000m open heat win.

Ridden by Samantha Spratt, the Gr III Taranaki 2yo Classic winner and Karaka Million runner-up showed plenty with a pompous performance to defeat classy older horses Arlington, Occidentalis and Redessi.

''Really happy with that,'' Bridgman said.

''He's had a good blow and he'll improve a ton with that. He's grown a lot and that was the big thing we wanted to see because he'd shown he was up with the better two-year-olds last season but he needed to grow to keep ahead of the later developers who often catch up at three.

''He's 16.1 hands now and there's no reason he can't be up with the better three-year-olds this season.''

Bridgman said Icepin, raced by Herbie Dyke, would resume in the 1200m three-year-old race at Ruakaka on September 11 as a leadup to the Gr II $85,000 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings on October 2.

He said stablemate Miss Thorn could contest the Listed Wanganui Fillies Classic (1200m) on Saturday week as a leadup to the Gr III Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings on September 18 but that was weather dependant.

Hamilton trainer Graeme Rogerson said Arlington could resume at Ruakaka in the 1400m open handicap on September 11, with a potential clash with stablemate and fellow Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan-owned galloper Katie Lee, before a possible run in the Gr I Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Hastings on September 18.

TAB bookmakers have Arlington at $81 to win the Windsor Park Plate and $61 to win the Spring Classic.

The other 1000m open heat went to the Corrina Young-trained Lady Chaparral, who proved herself just below the best company last season with her Gr I New Zealand Breeders' Stakes fifth placing at Te Aroha.

''She'll be a lovely mare this year,'' Young said.

''She's really settled and she'll be twice the horse this year.''

Lady Chaparral is set to resume in a Rating 80 1400m race at Ellerslie on Saturday week.

The Peter McKay-trained Alvesta was clearly the pick of the three two-year-old trial winners.

Having also won at Te Teko earlier this month, the General Nediym colt left his rivals gasping as he cleared out to win the 600m heat in 37.48 seconds, with Spratt sitting motionless in the saddle.

The time was more than half a second quicker than the other two heats won by the Linda Laing-trained Precise and an unnamed Richard and Chris Otto-trained Captain Rio Chloella filly.

''It was nice to see him take that step forward,'' McKay said of Alvesta.

''He didn't blow as hard as he did last time. He hadn't done much before Te Teko and we didn't gallop him in between. He was so much more relaxed today and Sam said he just about fell asleep in the barriers. He was like a real racehorse. He's not that big but he can run.''

Alvesta will be eligible for a $30,000 TBS bonus should he win at Wanganui on debut on Saturday week, a race in which he could meet his stablemate Antonio Lombardo, a Pins colt who finished second to Precise in the first heat, beaten a head.

Perfectly Ready filly Precise was the more impressive of the pair and looks an exciting prospect.

Laing said she had done little with the filly but she had shown a real willingness to run.

''She's just a little professional,'' said Laing, who favoured sending Precise back to the trials before a possible debut run in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) at Trentham on October 23.

- © Fairfax NZ News