Local galloper Wolfgang (NZ) (Puccini) continued the perfect start to his spring preparation at Matamata on Wednesday when doubling up in the Team Wealleans Premier (2000m).
The six-year-old gelding was victorious first-up over a mile at Hastings last month and repeated the result when beating Australian raider Rolls on Wednesday.
The son of Puccini settled midfield early on for jockey Matt Cartwright, who asked his charge to improve from the 400m, and he loomed ominous at the turn. Rolls hit the lead with 150m to go, but Wolfgang had momentum on his side and reeled in his foe and scored by half a length.
Co-trainer and part-owner Peter McKay was a bit wary about the step-up to 2000m second-up, but he needn’t have worried, with Wolfgang posting his sixth career win.
“Being second-up going to 2000m I was a little bit worried, but he has really come into his own this year,” said McKay, who trains in partnership with his son Shaun.
“Since the trip to Hastings, he has come home and put on three of four kgs. It was a brilliant ride, he had him in a beautiful spot, and followed the right horse into it. It was a really good finish.”
A son of McKay’s former Group One winner Puccini, Wolfgang may have inherited some of the family traits according to the Matamata horseman.
“Maybe he has the old man in him, Puccini, he was a tough horse,” McKay said. “That family got better and better, so maybe he is following that line a little bit and hopefully there is more left in him.”
McKay is now weighing up a potential late nomination for next Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), which has been transferred to Te Rapa.
“We will just see if a couple fall away, maybe (we might put in a late nomination for the Livamol),” he said. “It’s not ideal to go to weight-for-age, but we will just watch and see what happens, there could be a few disappointed ones. I will think about it.”
