Shakeilah, an In The Pocket filly who cost $100,000 as a yearling, is all dressed up with nowhere to go.
Canterbury trainer Wayne Ross is frustrated with the continuous cancelling of two-year-old races in the Auckland and Waikato area where the filly is based.
The $25,000 group two Morrinsville Stakes was canned in October. In recent weeks, races including the $15,000 Delightful Lady Stakes at Alexandra Park and this week's group two $25,000 Cambridge Te Awamutu Stakes have all been cancelled.
This week's race, for both sexes, had six nominations. There were seven for the Cambridge race last Wednesday but the club opted for an open trot which featured Lyell Creek.
"The club has talked about rescheduling this week's race in February but that isn't much help at the moment," Ross said. "I think the right answer is to run the races anyway.
"Those who won't nominate now because they are worried about one or two other horses soon will when they see the races are going to be run."
Ross is preparing Shakeilah for the $A60,000 Kay Seymour series in Brisbane in February so is anxious to get race practice for the Victorian-owned filly.
He has travelled north in the past in the spring with success.
"It's a help to raise interest in the yearling sales as well," Ross said. "All that is happening for us at the moment is that I have a real unhappy owner."
Ross has already sold eight juveniles out of his stable and, while he has two in Auckland, is currently at home preparing the summer batch.
Ross hopes his former star, Courage Under Fire, can return to his former glory.
"They booed him going past the stands at Alexandra Park in the Auckland Cup. Twelve months before they were cheering him," Ross said.
"I had a good talk to Brian Hancock. He is finding it hard to keep condition on the horse now he's a stallion and he was certainly lighter than he had been earlier.
"He hasn't got the relaxed nature he had then either. But that doesn't mean he won't bounce back with a break."
- NZPA
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