KEY POINTS:
John Sargent left Ellerslie racecourse last night with two very good reasons to look forward to the big summer races on the horizon.
In consecutive races the Matamata trainer saddled up Fiscal Madness and Sharvasti to win the two main events on the programme, the Lindauer 25th Anniversary Stakes and Carbine Club Trophy, with Fiscal Madness and Sharvasti.
Both performances confirmed that the stablemates were right on target for upcoming features such as the $120,000 Eagle Technologies Counties Cup and the $150,000 First Sovereign Trust Avondale Gold Cup.
"I've got them both entered for those races and I'd be happy with either or both of them running," said Sargent after Fiscal Madness had easily accounted for Twinkling and Shereigns in the Anniversary Stakes.
"Sharvasti can go straight to the Counties Cup [at Ellerslie on November 25], but we've got to make our minds up with Fiscal Madness.
"That was his first win at a middle-distance and he'll probably run a bit further than 2000 metres, but I could also drop him back for other good races around a mile."
Sargent has trained Fiscal Madness for just this preparation, having taken him over from Riccarton partnership Peter and Dawn Williams in response to his owners' wish to race him in the north.
"We originally sent him to John with the intention of racing in the Hawkes Bay spring races but he didn't click on in time," explained part-owner Robin Wilding.
Fiscal Madness, who travelled north two years ago to finish unplaced in Xcellent's Mercedes Derby, returned to form when third in the Matamata Cup on Kelt Stakes day and improved on that to win at Te Rapa on Labour Monday.
In yesterday's step up to 2000m, he was a little keen behind a moderate pace but moved up ominously nearing the turn.
Rider Opie Bosson gave him plenty of space down the outside and he stretched out to collar Twinkling and win by three-quarters of a length.
Shereigns finished the race off well to just miss second and Mac Five and Justa Tad were next to finish.
Justa Tad's effort had her co-trainer Megan Liefting still uncertain whether to retire the in-foal mare given the slow start that put her at the back of the field.
Rider Patrick Holmes later revealed that the tardiness was caused by a short martingale, the rings that the reins are threaded through to prevent a horse from skying its head.
"It might have looked like she slipped, but what really happened was that the rings were too short and stopped her from stretching as she went to jump," he said.
Sharvasti turned in a repeat of her last start win over the same 1600m distance three weeks ago when she burst through to take the lead just inside the 200m mark and coasted home to score by two-and-a-half lengths.
Noel Harris, the rider in all three of her wins to date, backed Sargent in the belief that Sharvasti is up to open class company.
"After her maiden win late last year I said to Sarge that one day she would be really something," said Harris.
"She's still got a bit to learn, but part of that is the way she's won her last two. In a way I didn't want to hit the front so soon today but then I thought she has to learn how to do it."
The day did have one negative for Sargent, with a three-day suspension jeopardising Bosson's chances of taking the mount on his filly Naturo in the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton on Saturday.
Bosson is considering an appeal which could enable a stay of proceedings to free him up for rides on the first day of the NZ Cup carnival.
