Kawi well positioned for Perth classic
Michael Walker will have options from an ideal gate for Kawi’s major Perth mission.
The former Kiwi jockey will guide the Allan Sharrock-trained five times Group I winner from barrier four as the Savabeel gelding chases a debut Australian elite level win for him and his trainer on Saturday.
Favourite Perfect Reflection has drawn barrier two as she bids to turn the tables on Scales Of Justice and Good Project in the A$1 million Kingston Town Classic.
The mare finished third behind Scales Of Justice and Good Project in the Group 1 Railway Stakes when they met at Ascot in Perth last Saturday week.
Scales Of Justice led all the way to win the Railway and has drawn the outside gate in the 16-horse field on Saturday, while Good Project jumps from five.
Winning Hong Kong jockey Douglas Whyte will again fly to Perth to ride Scales Of Justice.
To be ridden by William Pike,perfect Reflection is at $3.80. Kawi, sixth in the Railway, is at $5 and is the horse touted by the favourite’s connections as the one to beat.
Sharrock believes weight-forage conditions give him a crucial boost in his quest to bring the trophy back to New Zealand.
The New Plymouth trainer is in Perth putting the finishing touches on Kawi and reports the horse is thriving and galloped ‘‘enormous’’ on Tuesday.
Temperatures are comfortable and Sharrock is happy with how the horse has settled into his life in Perth.
‘‘He’s ready to go,’’ Sharrock said. ‘‘We will just potter around with him for the rest of the week he doesn’t need to do much.’’
Scales Of Justice is at $6.50 with Good Project and his Chris Wallertrained New Zealand-owned stablemate Mackintosh at $10.
Former Kiwi Mackintosh will be partnered by Damien Oliver from barrier 10.
A leading Matamata farm will produce two of the more interesting runners at the New Plymouth meeting today.
The Waikato Stud-owned Fashionably will make her first appearance in the HTL Insurance Maiden 3YO while the nursery’s well-related home-bred Lucy Wyldstyle will debut in the Nulook Aluminium Maiden.
Fashionably is a daughter of Redoute’s Choice and she was a $240,000 Sydney purchase for the stud, who bred and sold her dam, the dual Group One New Zealand Stakes and Queensland Oaks winner Scarlett Lady.
Trained by Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, Fashionably was put aside after two trials in the autumn and she has come back to run fourth in her last trial at Cambridge earlier this month.
“She’s been working well and we had her in at Pukekohe, but she drew wide so we scratched her,” Te Akau racing manager Brad Taylor said.
“She’s got a nice barrier in five at New Plymouth and we would expect her to run very well.”
Stable jockey Matthew Cameron will be aboard Fashionably.
The Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) has been made a whole lot easier for the 14 contenders after the early defection of leading hopes Rasa Lila and Hasselhoof.
Earlier this week Rasa Lila underwent colic surgery and is recovering well while Hasselhoof injured a hoof after standing on a plate.
The Logan and Gibbs stable will still be represented by Volkstok’n’barrell in Saturday’s race despite the defection of the recovering Hasselhoof.
Frank Drummond and his wife Faye own El Pescado and their Tauranga trainer Stu Manning has booked Cameron Lammas to do the riding. He has been kicking home winners left right and centre highlighted by Lasarla’s Group II success in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes.