By Barry Street
Laurie Laxon would like to think history could be repeated in two group races at the Hawkes Bay spring meeting on September 18.
The Cambridge trainer brought off a magnificent double at Hastings last spring with Just Call Me Sir in the group one Kelt Capital Stakes and Zino Belle in the group three Highview Stakes.
Four-year-old Just Call Me Sir is gearing up again for the $100,000 weight-for-age 1600m, kicking off with a trial at Cambridge tomorrow, then a return to racing in the Mudgway Partsworld Stakes, a group two 1400m, at Hastings on Saturday week.
Zino Belle is also being readied for a fresh start at Hastings as is Laxon's 1999 Highview Sta- kes hope, Sar- watch (Jetball-Riverina Cha- rm).
Winning the Highview again would mean a lot to Laxon because it would complete a treble in the race for Zino Belle and Sarwatch's owners, Peter and Philip Vela, of New Zealand Bloodstock.
The Velas first won the race with Noble Heights in 1981 when it was known as the Gold Trail Stakes.
Just Call Me Sir's form in the next month will determine whether he races in Australia or Singapore in October or stays at home.
His No 1 mission is the $A1.8 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Melbourne on October 23, but a slightly softer option than competing against Sunline and Redoute's Choice could be a $1 million 2200m at the grand opening of the new, lavish Cranji racing complex at Singapore the same weekend.
Laxon has two up-and-coming staying types, Desert Rain and Refugee, he hopes will become Auckland Cup material by next New Year's Day.
He also has the highest regard for two unraced bluebloods in his team, Showzeel (Zabeel-Winsomely) and Lyn's Legacy (Sir Tristram-Super Bound).
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Another northern trainer who aims to use a lower North Island meeting as a stepping stone to bigger things is Kerry Verner.
A fortnight ago Verner raced horses at a minor midweek meeting at Hastings and took Deimos along for the ride.
The trip and a hit-out with Trudy Collett up at Hastings did Deimos a world of good, Verner said.
"Trudy was very happy with the way he galloped down there," Verner said yesterday, "and so was I."
Deimos, who raced eight times last season for four wins, three seconds and a third, will resume racing over 1200m - a distance well short of his best - at the Pakuranga Hunt meeting at Ellerslie on Saturday week.
Then he is expected to get into a higher gear in the $42,500 Merial Metric Mile at a Marton meeting at Awapuni on September 11.
Verner said he nominated Deimos for the Caulfield Cup on October 16 and Melbourne Cup on November 2 but only in the hope that the horse came up again brilliantly.
"Realistically, even though he's now a 5-year-old, I don't think we are going to see the best of him until next autumn.
"He's a late developer," Verner said, "and I'm grateful that his owners have been very patient with him.
"If he goes to Australia this spring it could be for the Canberra Cup, which is worth $A100,000 and is over a nice distance of 2000m, on October 10.
"I've already ruled out The Metropolitan in Sydney on October 4. That's over 2600m and, even though he is a clean-winded horse, he wouldn't be forward enough for it."
Horse Racing: Laxon's team targets Hastings
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