Trainer takes tough option
Jumper goes for $50,000 hurdle feature at Ellerslie
Shelley Wright is hoping she has pulled the right rein with her promising jumper Matost. The Glen Massey (Ngaruawahia) horsewoman has elected to take the tougher option and start the 11-year-old in Saturday’s $50,000 Harrison Lane Hurdle at Ellerslie rather than head south for Sunday’s Wanganui meeting.
“Maybe I should have gone to Wanganui, but it’s a long way and Auckland is just up the road,” Wright said. “It will be a very good field and it will be good experience for him — it won’t do him any harm at all.”
Matost was formerly trained by his part-owner Mark Phillips and proved to be a quality winter performer on the flat with 11 wins, including the listed Karaka Classic, two Whyte Handicaps and the Egmont Cup.
His early jumping education was furthered with renowned trainer Kevin Myers before he joined Wright’s team and Matost broke his maiden over hurdles in fine style last time out at Te Aroha where he coasted home by 10 lengths.
“I’m very happy with him and he jumped well when he trialled at Cambridge on Tuesday,” Wright said.
Matost will be partnered on Satur- day by the 20-year-old Will Gordon, who has had three rides in New Zealand since he arrived from England where he has ridden extensively on the point-to-point circuit and under rules over hurdles and steeplechases.
“Charlie [Studd] wanted to stick with Nancho Lass and that’s fair enough so I don’t mind giving a young guy a go,” Wright said.
She has no firm plans for Matost beyond Saturday with the horse’s form to determine his programme.
“There’s still a few jumping meetings left and while he’s so well we’ll keep going,” Wright said. While the Schweppes Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie on September 3 isn’t a target, it hasn’t been ruled out either.
“It would be a big ask for a horse in his first jumping season, but he has shown a lot. We’ll see what happens,” Wright said. TENNIS