Notable black-type performances in both New Zealand and Australia on ANZAC Day may have set the tone for a big trans-Tasman weekend for Andrew Forsman.
The Cambridge trainer won Thursday’s Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m) at Otaki with Mr Mojo Risin’ (NZ) (Deep Field), then finished third in the Listed ANZAC Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington with promising two-year-old Yaldi (NZ). The son of Ardrossan had been a two-length winner at Pukekohe in his only previous start.
“It was a really good day yesterday and I’m very happy with how the team’s going at the moment,” Forsman said.
“I’ll have a chat with the Jomara Bloodstock team about where we go next with Mr Mojo Risin’. There’s not a whole lot of options coming up for him in New Zealand, so we might look at taking him back to Australia.
“Yaldi will fly back home to New Zealand next week. It was very much a hit-and-run mission for that one race yesterday, and I think it served its purpose really well.”
At Te Rapa on Saturday, Forsman will be represented by Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) and Koheroa (I Am Invincible) in the Gr.3 Inglis Sales Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), followed by White Noise (NZ) (El Roca), Saint Bathans (Maurice) and Devastate (NZ) (Vadamos) in the rescheduled Gr.3 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m).
Later in the afternoon, last-start Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) runner-up Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor) will contest the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville.
The Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes will be the first appearance in almost three months for Mary Shan, whose four-length maiden win in October was followed by a string of quality performances against elite three-year-old company. The daughter of Almanzor finished second in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), second in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), fourth in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) and a last-start fifth in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m).
“She’s had a nice few weeks in the paddock and has come back in really good order,” Forsman said. “She hasn’t trialled, but she went well in a recent exhibition gallop.
“We’ve always been treating this race as mainly just a run to get her going, and I think the wide draw (gate 16) is going to make it very hard for her over 1200m. She’s clearly going to have to get back from there. If the track is playing evenly, hopefully she can make a bit of a run at them in the straight.
“There’s a thought of taking her to Brisbane after this, but no decisions have been made on that yet. We’ll work out a plan once we’ve got this resuming run out of the way.”
Koheroa has been green in his four-start career so far, but was a stylish maiden winner at Tauranga in January and was narrowly beaten by Platinum Attack (Santos) in his most recent start at Trentham on April 6.
“He’s been doing a few things wrong but has plenty of ability,” Forsman said. “He’s still big and raw. He’ll get his head around things with a bit more racing. That’s partly why we’ve been keeping him to 1200m so far. With a decent tempo on, he’s got a better chance to relax in the running.
“He’s certainly got the ability to be right in the finish on Saturday if he gets a bit of luck and does things right.”
The Easter Handicap was meant to be run at Ellerslie last Saturday, but the meeting was abandoned after a horse slipped in the previous race on the card. The Easter was relocated to Te Rapa, where White Noise has previously been a winner while Saint Bathans and Devastate have both placed.
“They’ve all performed at the course previously, although in Saint Bathans’ case, it was back when he was a younger horse,” Forsman said. “I probably would have preferred the race to be run right-handed at Ellerslie for him.
“Devastate has the ability to put himself on the speed and he should be pretty comfortable around Te Rapa. White Noise has won there before, albeit on a more rain-affected track than he’s likely to strike this weekend.
“I think this little bit of rain that we’re getting in the Waikato today should be a help for all three of them, and they’re all in good order.”
Forsman also gave a glowing report about Positivity’s build-up to the Oaks in Adelaide.
“Everything’s gone great with her,” he said. “She left Flemington last night and arrived in Adelaide this morning,” he said.
“It’s not easy coming out of an Oaks preparation at home with some hard racing, then dropping back to 2000m for a Group One race in Australia like this. But she seems to be thriving and handling everything really well at this stage.”
