Racing: Smart youngsters primed to stamp their marks

Hamilton-based trainer Stephen Autridge has good news for punters who follow his runners - expect plenty of winners out of his stable over the next six weeks.

Autridge produced three-year-old fillies Fire Song and Laughing Girl to score impressive wins yesterday at Te Rapa and Awapuni.

The Rogerson-Autridge stable has scored 42 wins this season. Some of its runners - notably Keeninsky, Tui Song and Lashed - performed well at the recent Auckland and Wellington Cup Carnivals.

Yesterday Fire Song enjoyed an on-the-pace sit to lengthen stride impressively over the closing 100 metres and defeat Savute by a half-length with a further length back to Sharka Zuli.

Laughing Girl, despite making a mistake at the start and settling well off the pace, produced a blistering sprint down the outside of the track in the home stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Ferazzure and Pin Money.

"Expect to see our stable really crank things up over the next six weeks and there will be a lot of smart young racehorses hitting the racetrack," said Autridge.

"Fire Song is underrated and her form leading up to win here at Te Rapa has been impressive. She's finished second to horses like Clifton Prince and Shastri and I gave her a big chance of winning here.

"She is raced by a Sydney client who has five horses in training with us and I expect her to press on and do a very good job this season. Twelve hundred metres seems to be her pet distance but I think once she learns to settle she'll handle the step up to 1400 metres.

"Laughing Girl was having her fourth race start at Awapuni and despite making a mess of things at the start she showed plenty of speed to loop the field and win with a bit in hand."

The stable were active at the Karaka yearling sales during this week.

Rogerson bought a lot of yearlings for his clients including prominent Melbourne-based owner Lloyd Williams. Most of the yearlings will get their early racing education under Autridge before transferring to the Sydney and Melbourne stables of Rogerson.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY