The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Robusto will have just her second tilt at elite level when she lines-up in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings on Saturday.
The daughter of Zed ran 11th in the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie earlier this year after winning the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) at the Auckland track a couple of weeks prior.
She has had two runs in the lead up to Saturday for two placings, including a third behind Saturday race rival Big Mike over 2000m a fortnight ago.
“She will be pretty well near peak fitness, she probably needed that run the other day at Hastings and she will be a big improver for it,” Forsman said.
“She meets some of them better off at weight-for-age in this race, but the barrier draw (11) is going to be the awkward thing for her.
“It is wide open and we were going there hoping if we had drawn a soft draw that she could have got a good run in behind the pace and would have been a strong top three chance.
“I think she still is, she will just need a bit to go her way.”
Stablemate Joy Alone will join Robusto on the trip south to Hastings on Saturday where she will contest the Dan D’Esposito Memorial Mile (1600m).
The daughter of Roc de Cambes had a pleasing three-year-old term, winning the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2000m) at Awapuni and runner-up in the Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie.
She will be first-up on Saturday after placing in her 950m trial at Cambridge last month and Forsman said the race will be a good starting point for her campaign.
“She needs to get going somewhere,” he said.
“A mile first-up in a pretty handy looking line-up of horses, with a lot of them having had a bit of racing, it won’t be easy but she has been working very well.”
