Barabas turns tables and leads all the way at Ruakaka
Barabas screamed potential with his home track win on Saturday.
Ruakaka trainers Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs unleashed the 2-year-old to run second on debut a couple of weeks earlier but he reversed the result at the weekend.
His debut conqueror, Barcelo, got a good view of Barabas’s rear end in the Tavistock Owners Syndicate 1000 as the Dalghar gelding imposed his superiority ridden by Kelly Mcculloch.
Barcelo ran well for second with debutant Miss Catherine third.
Barabas will join some illustrious stablemates at upcoming Ruakaka meetings if he remains in New Zealand.
‘‘There’s been a few nibbles for him since his win,’’ Logan said of the $26,000 yearling purchase.
‘‘I’m not sure what the future holds for him – we will get him through this.
‘‘He’s really got gears and Kelly said if something had of come up beside him he would have found more.’’
He won by 21⁄4 lenghts, running 59.15sec for the 1000m.
Race fans will get a taste of his stablemates Hasselhoof and Valley Girl when they step out in the open 1200 on August 6 at Ruakaka as they prepare for the Hawke’s Bay carnival.
‘‘It will be like a trial for them and it will bring them on and saves travelling them,’’ Logan said.
‘‘They are both entered for the Makfi – Valley Girl will definitely go there but we’ll see how Hasselhoof performs and maybe wait for the Windsor Park Plate with him.’’
Their trainers are keenly anticipating what spring might bring.
‘‘We’ve got some really nice types to come out – it should be a really exciting spring,’’ Logan said.
If Barabas remains in the stable, he will be aimed towards the Listed Northland Breeders Stakes on September 10.
He could be joined by some or all of his well-performed stablemates Astara, Wyndspelle and The Soultaker.
‘‘Obviously, we would like to split them if we can but the Northland Breeders will definitely be the target for some of them,’’ Logan said. ‘‘We’re really thrilled with how they have been going. They’ve strengthened and grown during their time out and they are exciting horses.’’
Astara, another by new season sire Dalghar, won twice including the Champagne Stakes and ran fourth in the Matamata Breeders Stakes.
Wyndspelle ran second in the Diamond Stakes and had a win and another placing in four outings while The Soultaker had five runs for a Murdoch Newell Stakes win and two placings.