Spratt finds key to juvenile

SAM SPRATT wouldn't be optimistic of winning the Librettist 2YO Challenge at Ruakaka tomorrow if she didn't have some insight into Fieldofdreams' contrasting manners.
Spratt rode the Stephen McKee-trained 2-year-old to victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown Series at Ruakaka on May 25 and will be out to get more points on the board for the Bachelor Duke gelding and his connections this week.
However, Spratt said her rating of Fieldofdreams is certainly not helped by the horse's trackwork.
"He gallops awful at the track," Spratt, who treks out to McKee's Ardmore complex to ride work, said.
"He shows nothing, but it's different when he gets to the races. He obviously saves his best for raceday and that's where it counts most."
Fieldofdreams has already made three trips to Ruakaka even though he has only raced twice. His first trial was on the course last October when a close second and his two raceday starts have also been at the Whangarei Racing Club headquarters.
Before making his raceday debut Fieldofdreams had two further trials, the first resulting in an unplaced effort at Te Aroha and the other when winning at Ellerslie last April.
He made his debut at the Ruakaka meeting on May 6 and was an encouraging third behind Society Lady and Sweet Sin over 1200 metres then returned to the track 19 days later to win over 1000 metres.
"He's still very green, but he fought well to win that day," Spratt said.
"The way he went you would think he can win again."
Fieldofdreams will be stepping back up to 1200 metres this time and adding to his task will be the fact he will have to overcome one of the widest draws (15). However, a wet track can counteract a wide draw and that is likely to be the case tomorrow .
There are only two winners in the Librettist 2YO Challenge, the other being Rosie's Revenge, who is trained by Ron Gussey. A winner of two trials, Rosie's Revenge ran off in her debut at Ruakaka in the race in which Fieldofdreams ran third, but then followed up her second trials win with a good win in heavy ground at Ellerslie.
Gold Rock, trained by owner John Morell, is one of three placegetters in the line-up and went a fair race behind Fieldofdreams last month. He was unlucky two starts earlier when third at Te Teko.
Prestigious Miss is a trials winner who has run creditably in her two starts, finishing fourth to Fieldofdreams then fifth to Danrose at Te Rapa.
The other placegetter in the field is Perfect Katch, one of two runners in the contest for local trainers Donna and Dean Logan. Perfect Katch was second to subsequent stakeswinner Whoshe at Dargaville two starts ago.
The stable's other hope is Writteninthestars, who was fifth in the Dargaville race then beat her stablemate home when sixth in the Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie.
Fellow local trainers Kenny and Lisa Rae also have two acceptors in the event - Fullavino and Corncoat.
Fullavino, an Australian-bred by Falvelon, was just pipped at the recent Cambridge trials and is on debut, while Corncoat has come up against the two winners in the field. On debut he was eighth to Fieldofdreams after being runner-up to Rosie's Revenge at the Ellerslie trials.
Yet another local, Vince Roberts, trains Aimees Gold, who was last on debut at Te Rapa but shaped well in two trials beforehand. She won here at the trials last September and was second at the Paeroa trials.
Brent Wells, who also trains at Ruakaka, has the unplaced Shapely Escort waiting on the ballot list.