Michael and Matthew Pitman will be represented by a big team of runners at Tuesday’s Reefton meeting and the prospect of a drying track will be welcomed by their feature race contender.
The stable accepted with a quartet in the Ken Gray Memorial Reefton Cup (1400m), but the father-and-son combination’s hopes are likely to rest solely with Golden Harvest.
The Ghibellines seven-year-old has a mixed form line, although he hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck in more recent times and is most effective on good ground.
“I’ll probably only run Golden Harvest at this stage. He just wants a decent track and it’s a long time since he got one,” Michael Pitman said.
“He was very unlucky on the first day at Cromwell and then didn’t back up, so we’ve waited for this meeting with him.”
Golden Harvest did make one appearance between times at Ashburton where he began awkwardly from a wide gate and wasn’t a factor after that.
“It’s really hot here and I’m expecting the track to come back and that will give him his chance in what will only be a small field,” Pitman said.
The winner of four races, with a third placing in the Listed Hazlett Stakes (1200m) also to his credit, Golden Harvest will be ridden by the in-form Kylie Williams and has the benefit of the inside gate.
“We’ll probably have 23 runners throughout the day, obviously eight of those I inherited from the late Paul Harris,” Pitman said.
Williams will also be aboard Zoulander in the Greg Daly Real Estate/Birchfield Ross Mining (1400m) and they are expected to be a formidable combination.
The Zoustar gelding, who doesn’t always help himself with tardy beginnings, got home late over 1100m at Greymouth last week to finish runner-up behind stakes winner Illicit Dreams.
“I think Zoulander will be a very good chance in race six and I also think Epee Beel is a strong chance in race eight as well,” Pitman said.
Epaulette filly Epee Beel will step out in the Vernon & Vazey Truck Parts Handicap (1400m) and is a fresh runner on the West Coast circuit.
She was a last-start sixth on heavy ground at Wingatui on Boxing Day and will have the services of Tina Comignaghi.
Pitman is also bullish about starting the day on a good note with Benji’s Boy and Ocean Light in the Fahey/Gibson Memorial (2000m).
“The two horses in the first race are better than maidens, and they will carry on with it,” Pitman said.
“Ocean Light was unlucky again the other day and I’ve put my apprentice (Abdul Najib) on and claim 3kg, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Ocean Park three-year-old finished third at Kumara on Saturday while Benji’s Boy was also a last-start placegetter at Kurow on New Year’s Eve Day and will be partnered by Lee Callaway.
