Quality three-year-old colt Sword Of State (Snitzel) pleased connections when winning an 1100m trial at Matamata on Wednesday and will now take his place amongst Te Akau Racing’s travelling contingent to Queensland.
The Mark Walker-trained son of Snitzel is a Group One winner at two and has also won at Group Three level on three occasions.
Sporting the colours of Brendon and Jo Lindsay’s Cambridge Stud, future stallion Sword Of State will look to add Australian black-type to his CV, after failing to show his best in three starts across the Tasman in spring.
“He is a very good colt and his record says that,” Walker told Bensley.
“He is going to head up for the Gold Coast Guineas (Gr.3, 1200m) at this stage but we will take it one step at a time and see how he goes and work it out from there.
“Things went amiss in the Spring. He had a bad abscess in a hind foot and I think it derailed his whole programme so Australia never really got to see the best of him.
“He has come back since in the Autumn and won a couple of nice races here so we are just hoping he can show his best in Queensland.
“I think he is a genuine sprinter and 1200m is his best trip.”
The speedy colt will also be joined on the April 29 flight to Brisbane by Group One winning mare Entriviere (NZ) (Tavistock), who finished fourth in the same trial, and progressive staying mare Soprano Supreme (NZ) (Contributer).
“Entriviere was just out there for a day out more than anything. She will run in the Doomben 10,000 (G.1, 1200m) first up all going well,” Walker said.
“She is a pretty good mare so hopefully she can get a Group One in Australia, that will add to her resume.
“She has measured up in Australia before albeit with not a lot of luck in barrier draws so we are just hoping to draw a gate and a reasonable track and at her best she will be competitive.
“We are bringing over Soprano Supreme, she will run in the Gold Coast Cup over 2400m. She hasn’t got a lot of prize money, that’s the only thing but we’re hoping we get a run there and she’s won her last couple quite impressively.
“She is a nice staying mare by Contributer.
“She hasn’t got any black-type yet, but we feel she is a stayer on the way up and sometimes they get to Brisbane and thrive in the warmer climate.
“The only race suitable here for her was the Rotorua Cup (Gr.3, 2200m) but by the second week of May it can get quite wet here so we are taking a punt and sending her over.”
