Group One performer Chase (NZ) (Zed) will be out to make it back-to-back wins when he heads to Hastings on Saturday to tackle the Vintech Pacific Poverty Bay Cup (1600m).
The seven-year-old gelding was back in winning form last start at Otaki in the hands of Kate Hercock, who will reunite with the son of Zed this weekend where he has been lumbered with top weight of 60kg on what was rated a Heavy10 track on Thursday morning.
“Kate gets on well with him and always has done,” trainer and part-owner Stephen Nickalls said.
“It was really good to get the result there (at Otaki), we were thrilled with that. It is always good when they get their nose in front.
“He has done really well since then, the biggest concern is the 60 kilos on Saturday. It is a big impost in that wet ground, but we can’t do too much about that.”
Nickalls doesn’t have any set plans with Chase but hasn’t ruled out a tilt at the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in August.
“We will just see what he does on Saturday, we have got no set plans,” he said. “We got burnt a little bit last year when we nominated for a whole lot of races which cost us a lot of money, so we are taking it race-by-race at the moment and if he is going well enough we will pay the late nomination for anything that may come up, like a Winter Cup.”
Meanwhile, on Friday, Nickalls will head south to Otaki with a couple of contenders, including Stolen Rubies (NZ) (Shamexpress) in the Harcourts Otaki Maiden (1600m) and Manolo (NZ) (Jimmy Choux) in the Cavallo Farms & Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (1600m).
“Stolen Rubies is a nice mare and hopefully she will get through the Heavy10 down there,” Nickalls said. “She is a big mare and when they sprint off the back she gets left a bit flat-footed. She is a lovely mare and she has trained on well from her effort the other day.
“Manolo is in the 65 mile and he will appreciate the wet ground. I know he ran last the other day, but on a (Soft) 5 he probably ran as fast as he has ever run. He has trained on well since then as well.”
