Grant Cullen (left) and Guy Lowry will be watching Xpression's fortunes in Hastings today. Photo / file
Grant Cullen (left) and Guy Lowry will be watching Xpression's fortunes in Hastings today. Photo / file
Hastings trainer Guy Lowry umms and aahs before reservedly agreeing with some pundits' assertions that Xpression is worthy of a rating only second to favourite Avantage in Hastings today.
"Oh, it'll be close to second favourite, yeah," says Lowry, who co-trains with old mate Grant Cullen.
Their Showcasing filly, out of Xpress, will charge out of the No 8 barrier, with Samantha Collett in the saddle, at 2.42pm in the $70,000 group three Hawke's Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes.
The Jamie Richards-trained Avantage has drawn the No 1 barrier with jockey in the 3-year-old fillies in the 200m dash, which is on the card of the second leg leg of the Bostock New Zealand Spring Racing Carnival, the Windsor Park Plate.
Ask Lowry who else is pushing the envelope and he'll studiously advise not to write off Stella Noire, under the tutelage of Tony Pike, of Cambridge.
Stella Noire is another Showcasing (Great Britain) filly, out of Silkwood, who will have Leith Innes in the saddle from barrier No 3.
But it doesn't detract from the credentials of Xpression who Lowry and Cullen have nominated for the Gavelhouse.com 46th New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton Park, Christchurch, on November 17.
The black-type filly, who has pocketed $71,000 to date, has had two wins from three starts — a group 2 Randwick Meats Wakefield Challenge Stakes victory for 2-year-olds over 1200m at Trentham on December 9, 2017, and the NZB Insurance Pearl Series race in Taupo over 1100m as a 3-year-old on August 22 this year.
"It's a stepping stone for the 1000 Guineas for us," he says.
However, Lowry has reservations about his horse's barrier and he wants a "good track" devoid of rain amid the wintry climes forecast today.
"It's going to be very hard to make up ground over 1200m in Hastings when you've got a wide draw," he says, optmistic the Bay weather will take ownership despite the persistent week-long drizzle.
He doesn't envisage changes to their race plan in the hope Xpression will retain a desire to burn some pace.
Lowry suspects Collett won't have any qualms with Xpression.
"She'll doesn't have to work out to get across from a bad alley so she'll put herself there straightway without putting too much effort," he says, of the adroit 28-year-old rider from Waikato.
"But it might not be that easy to get into a position whereby we're close enough to run home over the top of her, you know."
In taking the jargon out of his forecast, Lowry simply puts it as: "We're going to need a bit of luck from where we are."
Grant Cullen (left) and Guy Lowry will be watching Xpression's fortunes in Hastings today. Photo / file
The grinning trainer says Richardson nailing two No 1 barriers — in the gold trail stakes and the marquee Windsor Park Plate at 4.28pm — as the beneficiary of "the luck of the draw".
Nevertheless, Lowry hastens to put such assertions in perspective subject to the laws of relativity.
"Had we drawn the inside barrier [No 1] it could [also] have been a difficult barrier for us because we'd have to get back," he explains. "We might have ended up with traffic problems getting through."
In a nutshell, neither the No 1 or No 8 barrier warms the cockles of his heart.
"I wouldn't prefer any of those draws. [No 1] would have been all right but 3, 4, 5 or 6 would have been perfect," he says. "Beggars can't be choosers."
Lowry emphasises Stella Noire "is the one who'll take a good beating".
The brown filly has had four consecutive wins, albeit in modest fields, before the blemish with an eighth place in the El Roca — Sir Colin Meads Trophy race over 1200m here from a wide gate 10 in race five of the first leg, the Tarzino Trophy Daffodil Raceday, on September 1.
All that, of course, doesn't impinge on the favouritism of Avantage.
