A $100,000 carrot at Cambridge’s synthetic meeting in August is firmly in the sights of trainer Howie Mathews with a pair of his gallopers, but he is being forced to take an unsuitable path to the lucrative target.
With no suitable races at Awapuni’s polytrack, the Otaki horseman has opted to test both Weneedashock and Free Spirit on Heavy10 footing at their home track on Friday in the TAB Raukawa Cup (2100m).
“The reason that I have got them in work and racing at this time of year is the lure of the $100,000 staying race on the synthetic at Cambridge on August 8,” Mathews said.
“They have both won two races on the synthetic, so I am hoping to get them into some sort of fitness shape and a little bit of form to get them to Cambridge to go at that 2000m $100,000 race.
“It is unfortunate that there is no (rating) 75 miles or staying races on the synthetic to prepare them. I was bitterly disappointed that the 75 staying race was dropped the other day at Palmerston North.
“It is a bit of a muddling way to do things on a Heavy10, which I don’t think the horses are overly happy with the conditions. It is at home and hopefully they can hit a bit of form before early August.
Free Spirit is looking to recapture some form on Friday after running into a series of issues.
“She hasn’t really come up this year, she has had a few niggly problems,” Mathews said. “Being a mare she has seasonal problems and a couple of times she has been caught on the fence.
“She likes to have free running, so when I saw that she has drawn wide (16) I think with Lisa Allpress on she will be a lot better. I am hoping for a lot better run from her and it will be good for Lisa to get off and say ‘you are going in the right direction’.
“Weneedashock, we don’t think he is a wet track horse but we just want to get him fit enough so that he has got a chance at Cambridge on the 8th of August.”
Earlier on the card, Mathews will line-up Susie Jane in the New World Otaki Handicap (1200m).
The daughter of Nadeem was runner-up in her two first outings this preparation before she ran ninth on a Heavy10 track at Trentham earlier this month.
“She ran a good race fresh and at Trentham I thought she was just one of those runners that just didn’t cop Trentham,” Mathews said. “She jumped well and was outside, she raced right with them to the turn and then a couple came around us and Ashvin (Mudhoo, jockey) had to switch her to the inside. Once she switched to the inside she went down on the ground that wasn’t to her liking so she just didn’t finish it off as good as I would have liked.
“Back on her home track on Friday, we are expecting a nice run from her.”
