Racing: Tough challenge awaits New Zealand mare Coventina Bay

Coventina Bay has "nothing left to prove back home" as she prepares for the Queensland carnival. Photo / Supplied

In-form trainer Robbie Patterson knows winning races is about to get a lot tougher.

Patterson had a dream day of domestic racing on Saturday when he trained winners at both Te Rapa and Whanganui, winning with The Fearless One and new stable recruit Secret Amour, who took out Whanganui's open sprint.

That is no easy feat for a mid-size stable, not that Patterson was there to see either win, as he is in Queensland preparing to climb racing's Mount Everest.

He has taken his stable star Coventina Bay across the Tasman for a showdown with Zaaki, with stablemate Nom De Plume accompanying on a possible Queensland Oaks path.

"I realise what we have got ourselves into," says Patterson of the quality of horses Coventina Bay will face.

"But that is where she is in her career now. I want to see her up against these horses as she has nothing left to prove back home."

Coventina Bay will start her Australian campaign in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast this Saturday before her main aim, the Doomben Cup on May 21, taking on All-Star Mile winner Zaaki.

"She has travelled really well and her work last week before she got here was as good as it has been all season," says Patterson.

"Because it is getting colder back home she is getting her winter coat but we will give her a clipper cut on Tuesday and she will be good to go."

Former jockey Samantha Collett will be reunited with Coventina Bay for the Queensland features, while Craig Grylls will head there next Sunday to partner Nom De Plume in a Sunshine Coast race.

"Nom De Plume has only had a few starts but she is a really good filly and I'd love to qualify her for the Oaks, so she is one for the punters to watch out for."

The Patterson pair are just two of the 33 New Zealand horses who flew into Brisbane on Friday to launch the largest New Zealand assault on a major Australian thoroughbred carnival this century.

They could be joined by Secret Amour, who won the open sprint at Whanganui in her first outing for Patterson.

"She used to be trained by Jamie Richards and came to us in great order. We think she is a pretty good mare so she can race next in a Group 3 at Rotorua and then come across to Queensland.

"We will find a nice race for her over here and she will then retire and stay on to be served over here."

While there are plenty of Kiwi gallopers in Queensland for the carnival, few are favoured in the Group 1s over the next six weeks as the carnival goes from strength to strength, with stronger NSW and Victorian interest in recent years.

Coventina Bay is rated around $15 for the Doomben Cup, with understandable variance between the New Zealand TAB and Australian bookmakers.

Sword Of State will kick off his latest Australian campaign this Saturday and will need to win a nice race to even get a shot at the glamour race of the carnival, the Stradbroke, in which he is rated a $51 chance.

His stablemate, the speed freak Entriviere, will race the week after in the Doomben 10,000, for which she is rated a $11 chance.

Those same odds are available in Australia for Pinarello to win the Queensland Derby on May 28.