KEY POINTS:
Vercors will excel at longer distances this season but she should not be dismissed over 1400m in group three company tomorrow, stable head Roydon Bergerson warns punters.
Vercors tackles the $85,000 weight-for-age Hawkeye Stoney Bridge Stakes for fillies and mares at Hawera as a stepping stone to feature 1600m races in the immediate future.
But Roydon Bergerson, who heads the Palmerston North arm of the Graeme Rogerson-Garry Newham trans-Tasman stable, said Vercors had been working well and should go close tomorrow.
"She will be very competitive," he said yesterday. "Her work's been spot on. I can't fault her. She looks really well and she's ready to progress."
Bergerson said a top performance at Hawera could see Vercors tackle the group one $200,000 weight-for-age Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on October 27.
Also on the agenda is the group two $270,000 Coupland's Mile Handicap (1600m) at Riccarton on November 14.
But Bergerson believes it will be a distance of 2000m at which Vercors will ultimately shine this season.
"She's looking to get up to a mile," he said.
"But when she gets over 2000m this year, that will be her best distance."
Vercors was unplaced in two runs up to 1300m this campaign but Bergerson was not concerned.
"She's never performed under 1400m but those two runs will have helped in getting her match fit."
He admitted he was disappointed with her last start when she weakened to eighth behind Irlanda in a $50,000 mares race over 1300m at Hastings on September 22.
But when reflecting on her second-up form last year he was willing to forgive the run.
"She was probably a bit disappointing but she was ordinary second-up last year too.
"She usually takes a couple of starts to come right."
The Catbird five-year-old mare, owned by Peter and Philip Vela, showed plenty of promise last season.
A hat-trick of wins culminated in the $50,000 Wairarapa Breeders' Stakes (1600m) at Tauherenikau in February and she finished off the season with third to Sarajay in the group two $120,000 Travis Stakes (2000m) for mares at Te Rapa in April.
Saturday's race has drawn an excellent line-up and as a consequence the favourite on the New Zealand TAB's fixed-odds market last night was at $7.
That position was held by Irlanda followed by Rosetti Bay ($8), Aimee's Idol ($8.50), Keep The Passion and Zerello ($9), Ististar ($10), Bonaichi ($11) and Vercors ($12).
At longer odds was Dorabella at $17.
She has disappointed in two starts this season but was the winner of the group one $275,000 One Thousand Guineas (1600m) for three-year-old fillies at Riccarton last November.
Dorabella won a 1000m trial on slow ground at Otaki last week and has to be given another chance.
Matamata visitor Irlanda was impressive in winning over 1300m at Hastings when resuming and is another promising filly of last season ready to progress through to weight-for-age company.
The O'Reilly four-year-old won the group three $75,000 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies at Awapuni in December and wound up the season with a second to Captivate in the group one $150,000 New Zealand Breeders' Stakes (1600m) for mares at Te Aroha in April.
- NZPA
