Pitmans target Trentham
Michael and Matt Pitman have two Trentham targets firmly in their sights.
The father and son training partnership began their home carnival with a hat-trick of winners at Riccarton on Saturday.
Amongst them was Enzo’s Lad’s feature win in the $50,000 Listed Yesberg Insurance Services Pegasus Stakes (1000m).
Added by a patient and perfectly timed ride from Chris Johnson, who won four races from just eight rides, Enzo’s Lad’s one and a quarter length victory delivered on a longstanding plan.
Enzo’s Lad did not reach the level of success that was hoped during the Cup week carnival last year but Michael Pitman promised his owners they would be competitive in either the Pegasus or the Group III Stewards 12 months later.
The stable now has him earmarked for the $250,000 Group I Telegraph Handicap on January 20 at Trentham.
‘‘He’s good enough,’’ Pitman said. ‘‘We gave him two or three starts on wet tracks that probably didn’t suit him so we turned him out and waited for the better tracks. Chris (Johnson) always said once he gets on a better track he’ll be a serious horse,’’ Pitman said.
The Pegasus victory will be Enzo’s Lad’s only appearance of Cup week. Also heading for Trentham is Savvy Coup. A two and a quarter length winner in a maiden over 1400m on Saturday, the Savabeel filly will be aimed at the $400 000 Group I New Zealand Oaks on March 18.
Team Pitman was always confident Savvy Coup had the ability but pulled her out of the 1000 Guineas because they felt she needed more time and would be better suited to the Oaks distance.
She will follow the same path of Another Coup – the stable’s last Oaks runner (2015) – by backing up on the first two days of Cup week. The daughter of Savabeel will contest the threeyear-old race over 1400m.
‘‘She’ll be awfully hard to beat,’’ Pitman said.
The stable’s third winner on Saturday came with Nowhere Man in a rating 65 (1200m). Group I runner Sensei has come through his fifth in the 2000 Guineas with flying colours.
In a promising sign for the future, the Dream Ahead colt cruised home under his own steam to make up ground late. He was bumped wide and inconvenienced during a rough start to the race in the first 300m.
Meanwhile, Aspen Lass scored a deserved black-type victory in the $75,000 Listed Metropolitan Trophy Handicap.
The Terri Rae-trained Aspen Lass has been earning a reputation as a luckless runner, through no fault of her own, but the promising stayer made up for that with her classy one and three quarter length victory on Saturday.
Had she found clear running earlier in the Riccarton straight in last month’s Spring Classic, the Metropolitan could have easily been her second consecutive Listed success. The five-year-old Alamosa mare is not nominated for Saturday’s $250,000 Group III New Zealand Cup (3200m).
‘‘Chris (Johnson) always said once he gets on a better track he’ll be a serious horse.’’
Michael Pitman, Enzo’s Lad’s trainer