Youngsters preparing to return

Talented youngsters Hasahalo and Star Treasure are putting a spring in the step of their trainer Stephen McKee.

‘‘They are both back in work and doing very well,’’ the Ardmore trainer said.

Hasahalo won the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes before she finished runnerup behind Melody Belle in the Listed Karaka Million.

The Savabeel filly then ran fifth in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes and was turned out after an unplaced effort in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes.

‘‘She’s filled out quite a bit and she looks really good,’’ McKee said. ‘‘A break has done wonders for her and we’re really looking forward to the future with her.’’

The Gr.3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes on September 23 looms as an early three-year-old target for the filly.

‘‘We’ll just wait and see how she does and whether she has a race before then,’’ McKee said.

Star Treasure, however, is likely to make an earlier return to action.

‘‘He’s quite a leggy horse and he’s done well,’’ McKee said.

‘‘We’ll probably be looking to race him in late August, maybe at Ruakaka, and hopefully the 2000 Guineas later on.’’

Star Treasure has won one of his six starts and finished runnerup in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes and fourth in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Meanwhile, stablemate Bombard has the early three-year-old races in the new season on his programme. Bombard won at Ruakaka two runs back. Tall tales and colourful banter is the norm at racecourse gaps around the country, but Cambridge trainers might have reason to take that to a new level after a trackwork visit from Scottish rugby great Gavin Hastings on Tuesday.

Hastings, who captained the British and Irish Lions on their 1993 tour of New Zealand and played 61 tests for Scotland, was in the Waikato for the Lions game against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Tuesday night and took the opportunity to attend trackwork.

Among the trainers to enjoy Hastings’ company were New Zealand’s top training partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, who posed for a photo with the legendary fullback.

Forsman tweeted the photograph with the caption: ‘‘An honour to meet Gavin Hastings at the track this morning @Lions #legend #jonahlomurugby" and the visit brought back some fond memories of playing the video game Jonah Lomu Rugby.

‘‘It was quite uncanny. Me and my brothers grew up playing that game and Gavin Hastings was a prominent figure in that,’’ Forsman said.

‘‘He also played an important part in that 1995 World Cup when Jonah stormed onto the scene. He was a person I grew up with and a name I grew up hearing and watching so it was quite uncanny to meet him.’’ Forsman said Hastings had a warning for New Zealand supporters who think the Lions will be outclassed by the All Blacks.

‘‘He thinks (Warren) Gatland has got a few things up his sleeve and that the Lions won’t be a push over.’’

Baker described the Scotsman as a really good guy. ‘‘He’s a mate of our vet Doug Black. They’ve been mates from way back. He was out at the gap this morning and it was good to meet him,’’ Baker said.

Baker quipped that he was loath to tip their guest into a winner in case he jinxed the one winner they need to bring up their century of wins for the season.

Baker and Forsman have four entries for Pukekohe on Wednesday - Socially Excited, Grand Rio, Checkout and Learning To Fly - and will have a handful of runners at Tauranga on Saturday.