Who can out-shoot Sherrif?
Cambridge trainer Roger James will take a walk down memory lane if his highly promising threeyear-old Sherrif can live up to expectations in the Valachi Downs Championship Stakes (2100m) at Pukekohe today.
An impressive last-start winner of the Manawatu Classic (2000m), Sherrif is on trial for an Australian trip with both Queensland and South Australia in the mix, though James said it is more likely he will head to the latter state.
‘‘I’m tending to lean towards South Australia rather than Queensland,’’ he said.
‘‘If he goes for the Queensland Derby he’d have to run in the Grand Prix beforehand and that could be a run too many.
‘‘By going to South Australia he can go straight in the Derby over there and then come home.’’
The South Australian Derby (2500m) is at Morphettville on May
12.
The Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) is not until May 26 and the Queensland Derby (2400m) a fortnight later.
Sherrif wasted no time showing his class when following up a trials win a couple of months ago with an impressive debut success over
1400m at Pukekohe then went down a mere head at Te Aroha over 1600m before appreciating the step up to 2000m at Awapuni.
On the strength of that Manawatu Classic performance, he stands out as the horse to beat today and James, while pleased with his condition going into the Championship Stakes, is hoping for continued improvement in the track rating, which had come back from heavy to a slow8 on Thursday afternoon.
‘‘I’d like to see it come back a bit more but the High Chaparrals do handle it a bit so I’m banking on that,’’ he said.
James will also start the lightly tried Concert Hall in the feature and is looking forward to seeing how she performs in the step up from 1600m.
‘‘She’s screaming to go over ground and her runs have been excellent,’’ he said.
‘‘She just hasn’t helped herself as she doesn’t know how to travel in a race yet and it has cost her lengths.
‘‘The track is a little bit of a concern but her work has been good.’’
James has three other runners at Pukekohe, the first being Hanger, who races in the same Brendan and Jo Lindsay colours as Sherrif.
A son of O’Reilly, Hanger capped off a few placings with a comprehensive win at Matamata last month when tried for the first time in side winkers.
‘‘His work has been super and he won with authority last time,’’ James said. ‘‘I’m concerned with the track for him, but he’ll run if it doesn’t get worse.’’
James has opted to step Poker Face out of his grade, deciding on the rating 75 Lone Star Pukekohe 1600 rather than the rating 65 Mount Shop 1600.
‘‘He’s been carrying big weights and he’ll appreciate the drop in weight,’’ he said.
Pythagoras will run in the Mount Shop 1600 and be looking to redeem himself after losing all chance last start at Te Aroha with a very slow getaway.
‘‘He blotted his copy book last time by standing in the gates, but he’s been trialled since and has done everything right,’’ James said. ‘‘He’s also been jumping so he’s fit.’’
RICCARTON
The pressure again goes on threeyear-old filly Caricature this weekend.
Fresh from facing her toughest assignment in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham last month, Caricature will be out to seal a tilt at a Group One event across the Tasman when she competes in Warstep Stakes at Riccarton today
Trainer Tony Pike has pencilled-in two Adelaide assignments for the daughter of Power, the first being the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville on May 5 and the other, the South Australian Fillies Classic on the same track a fortnight later.
‘‘She has got to win or be very unlucky on Saturday to go over,’’ Pike said. ‘‘This is a drop in class from the Oaks and if she runs up to her effort in that she should be hard to beat.’’
A daughter of the five-time winner and Group One placegetter Octapussy, Caricature is raced by the China Horse Club.
Caricature was joined on the flight south this week by a relatively new stablemate Endean Rose, who will be looking to boost further her value as a potential broodmare.
Under the guidance of her previous trainer, Iain Kennedy, Endean Rose won six races and was Group One placed when third behind Wait A Sec in the Livamol Classic at Hastings and also second in the Travis Stakes at Te Rapa 12 months ago.
‘‘She was bought to go to stud and, though she has been Group placed, she hasn’t won a stakes race so this is a chance for her this weekend,’’ Pike said.