Group Three performer Canheroc (NZ) (El Roca) has just one Cup to his name, but trainer Chris Wood is keen to double that haul when they head to Te Rapa on Saturday to tackle the Gr.3 SkyCity Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m).
The seven-year-old son of El Roca was victorious in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m) in January before running third in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) later that month, and he added another Cup placing to his name when third in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton last month.
Wood was pleased with his charge’s run and said he is in good order and in a fresh state heading into Saturday’s contest.
“He came back from Christchurch and had an easy week, and he has been back into his work again,” Wood said. “He has had a few gallops and he has pleased me, he is happy.
“He is going to have fresh legs for Saturday after about a month since he has raced, but I have done plenty of work with him and I am happy with where he is.”
Canheroc’s main aim of the summer is next month’s Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham, and he is hoping Saturday’s run can put him on the right path for the staying feature.
“It (Waikato Cup) doesn’t look super strong on paper, but any race is hard to win in New Zealand now, there aren’t as many horses going offshore anymore now that the stakes money is good,” he said.
“There are a few Open Handicaps coming up in the next few weeks and the horses can’t be everywhere. He will have the run here, another in a couple of weeks just after Christmas at Wellington, and then we will look at the Wellington Cup, everything going right.
“He didn’t have much luck this year and we are hoping things go better next year.”
Wood will also be represented on Te Rapa’s undercard by Alfriston (Jukebox), who will contest the Comag Plumbing, Drainlaying and Roofing Hamilton 1300.
“He is a bit of an enigma, he is a funny little fella,” Wood said. “He went a super race two starts ago at Te Rapa and flew home from the back for third.
“I took him down to New Plymouth and there wasn’t a lot of tempo in the race, and they walked and sprinted, and left him flat-footed. He made up a little bit of ground. He ran last, but he wasn’t that far off them.
“Masa (Hashizume, jockey) seemed to get on well with him at Te Rapa, so he is back on him again, and he is really in form, so hopefully he will pull something out of the hat for me.”
A day prior, Wood will head to Tauranga with two runners – Bertie Wooster (NZ) (What’s The Story) in the Rob Pinny Realtycom Maiden 1400 and Emmy Dazzler (NZ) (Embellish) in the Real Chartered Accountants 1400.
“Bertie Wooster has drawn 18 unfortunately, so we will just see what happens,” Wood said. “He ran at Te Aroha a few weeks ago, got back and stormed home for fourth. I thought it was a really good run, and he is improved from that.
“Emmy Dazzler probably wants the cut out of the track and we might just get that at Tauranga this week. There’s talk that there will be a bit of rain there Thursday, but it dried really well the last time the rain came at Tauranga, so hopefully they don’t get too bad of a track as it is that time of year you want horses to be racing on Good tracks.
“If she doesn’t fire this time, I will give her a break until we get a bit of cut of the track in autumn.”
Meanwhile, Wood’s promising two-year-old That’s Gold (Lucky Vega) has been gelded and is enjoying a spell ahead of some juvenile targets later this season.
“He has been gelded and he will go out for a break for three or four weeks and he will be back for the two-year-old races in February and March,” Wood said.
“He has run home well every time he has started. It was a huge run the other day when he ran third at Ellerslie again. He is progressing nicely. I think he is going to be a really nice horse going forward.”
