Racing: No sweat for top filly

Honey Rider gave trainer Andrew Forsman a pre-race scare.

Honey Rider gave Andrew Forsman a pre-race scare before the highly-regarded filly trumped her rivals at Hastings yesterday.

The daughter of Pins opened her three-year-old campaign in perfect style with victory in the group three Hawke's Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes.

"I was very confident going into the race, but my confidence dropped a bit when she broke into a sweat and I thought she may have been a bit fresh," said Forsman, who prepares Honey Rider with Murray Baker.

"She got the job done though and she's a pretty high-class galloper."

Forsman said the filly's programme through to the group one gavelhouse.com NZ 1000 Guineas had yet to be locked in.

"We'll see how she comes through this first and then it's about getting her down to Riccarton in the best possible order."

Honey Rider settled in the trail before in-form jockey Michel Coleman was able to ease off the fence into the straight.

"I was a little bit anxious about getting out and once we did she showed good fight," he said.

Honey Rider was a debut winner at Hastings last season and trialled at Te Teko and Cambridge ahead of resuming.

"In her first trial she wasn't very flash, but she had improved out of sight when I rode her in the second one," Coleman said.

- NZ Racing Desk