Cambridge teams’ impressive wins
Cambridge stables began their local meeting with a hiss and a roar on Saturday winning the first four of the seven-race card culminating in a win in the day’s feature race, the Travis Stakes.
The all-conquering Cambridge team of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman have been in rare form this season, regularly producing big race winners but they wondered if Mime was ever going to add her name to the list.
The Mastercraftsman mare answered emphatically in the $100,000 Cambridge Jockey Club feature under a patient Craig Grylls ride.
‘‘I had to wait for the run,’’ Grylls said. ‘‘But when she got it she put a margin on them.’’
‘‘She’s been so unlucky this season,’’ Forsman said, sentiments echoed by Baker. She deserved this win which was certainly helped by the step up to 2000 metres.’’
Mime was sold last year by her New Zealand owners to powerful overseas racing force, the China Horse Club.
Cambridge bloodstock consultant Michael Wallace works inter- nationally for the China Horse Club and was on-course at Te Rapa.
‘‘She’s been there and thereabouts in her races and it’s just good to get one with her,’’ Wallace said. ‘‘Andrew and Murray have been saying they couldn’t wait to get her to 2000 metres and she showed why today.’’
Wallace turned his thoughts to Queensland after the win and the mare’s trainers were thinking along the same lines.
‘‘The Doomben Cup in three weeks would suit her,’’ Wallace said. The 2000m race would give the 4-year-old the chance to add a Group I win to her five career wins.
Outsider Endean Rose ran the race of her life for co-owner and trainer Ian Kennedy to finish second a long neck behind the winner with a nose back to Cambridge-trained Sofia Rose in third. Promising galloper Killarney had to race right up to his reputation to grab the honours in Saturday’s Rating 85 over 1400m.
Cambridge trainer Roger James has faith in the 4-year-old son of O’Reilly and hopes he can earn a trip to race in Australia as an older horse.
‘‘He’ll probably go for a spell now, but it will be at five and six that we will see the best of him,’’ James said.
‘‘He might be the kind of horse good enough to race on the undercard in Australia one day. He’ll get a mile and if he did things correctly, he might have been more decisive [today].’’
Jockey Matt Cameron said the big gelding needed a bit of persuasion to get the job done, but when he buckled down he hit the line strongly.
James will be hoping the gelding, who he purchased at the 2014 Select sale at Karaka for $115,000, can match the deeds of his stakes winning dam Irish Colleen who won seven for the Nakhles.
Another rising talent Prince Hareem won the following race, the Premier 1600 for 3-year-olds. The Cambridge-trained Iffraaj colt, like Killarney, had to be good to win as he gave Tiptronic a big start into the final stages of the race.
He was helped by Tiptronic’s waywardness and a desperate ride by jockey Danielle Johnson for co-owner and trainer Stephen Marsh. Baker and Forsman also won with Victory Drive in the first of the day.