Racing: Hawke's Bay runners provide plenty of optimism

Three-year-old filly Tokorangi. Photo / Race Images

Trainer Pam Gerard was delighted with the return of Tokorangi and Pinmedown at Hawke's Bay last Saturday.

Three-year-old filly Tokorangi was one of the runs of the day when finishing fourth in the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), while Pinmedown was beaten only four lengths in the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) when 10th and will be at her best when out to a middle distance.

"Tokorangi probably ran up to how she had been working and to her form last season," said Gerard, who trains in partnership with Michael Moroney. "Maybe she is a little bit of a forgotten horse. She is a pretty smart filly and it has probably taken a little bit of time for her to mature and I don't think she is anywhere near there yet."

The daughter of Redwood will now head to the Group 3 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa before a trip to Riccarton for the Group 1 Barneswood Farm 48th New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) is considered.

"We will work our way to the Soliloquy looking at going to the New Zealand Guineas but that will depend on how she copes on the workload and getting her to that 1400 at Te Rapa."

The Matamata trainer was also pleased with the return of Group 2 winner Pinmedown.

"I was rapt. I thought it was a really big run and the plan had always been to go to Counties to the Open 1400m which they took away from us and shifted to Ruakaka and changed to 1200m, so there really wasn't a lot of choice," Gerard said.

"To run in a Group 1 fresh up is not ideal but she settled back and I thought her last 50m was really good."

The daughter of Pins will contest the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) en route to the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m).

"There are plenty of options and she will probably go through the summer and then go to Brisbane and maybe end up in a Broodmare Sale down the track," Gerard said.

Ballymore Stables will have a number of runners at Matamata today, where first-starter Grip faces a talented line-up in the One Agency Matamata 1400. The O'Sullivan-Scott trained Rocket Spade has been installed the $1.90 favourite.

"Grip had a trial before lockdown and he was quite immature," Gerard said. "He's a big colt and when Mike and Paul [Moroney, bloodstock agent] picked him out at the sales, they thought of him as a Derby horse. There were some similarities between him and Xcellent, which is why they bought him.

"At his first trial, he didn't even raise a gallop. He went out and had a spell. We thought about gelding him, but we didn't, and he has come back and won his first trial very impressively.

"He went back to the trials again and we tried to get him in amongst horses but that didn't work out and he still hit the line strongly.

"He hasn't been left-handed but he has done a bit of work that way. We would just like to see him settle and get home well."

- NZ Racing Desk