Spain’s plum Soliloquy ride
Victorian apprentice jockey Zac Spain is in Auckland this weekend to ride for the stable of Emma-Lee and David Browne.
Unfamiliar with New Zealand racing, Spain will nevertheless be familiar with some of the form around his Soliloquy Stakes mount Belle Du Nord.
The stunning Reliable Man filly beat recent Flemington winner Aloisia as a 2-year-old.
Aloisia formerly trained at Matamata by Jason Price before her sale to Australia, won the rich Group I Thousand Guineas two weeks ago.
That makes the effort of Belle Du Nord all the more meritorious and fully alerted Spain to the quality of his mount.
The booking of Spain for the Soliloquy ride and stablemates Pepper Mill and Blizzard came about through the trainers’ friendship with expats Natalie Young and Trent Busuttin who he rides for at Cranbourne.
‘‘He’s a good young jockey and has been riding well since joining Trent and Natalie’s stable,’’ David Browne said. ‘‘They have a good opinion of him and he should do a good job for us.’’
Conspiring against Spain and Belle Du Nord ($5.50) may be the prospect of a rain-affected track.
She has handled off tracks but is at her absolute best on good footing but the looming Group I challenge in the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton next month forces the hand of her trainers.
‘‘We need to get a run into her but we’re not keen on striking a heavy track,’’ Browne said. ‘‘We will leave her in the field but we need to keep an eye on the weather.
‘‘Things haven’t panned out too well with the weather this campaign but she’s working really, really well and should go a good race if she handles the track.’’
Saturday’s race provides an important form pointer to the 1000 Guineas and the likely opposition for dominant favourite, the highflying Prom Queen.
Dijon Bleu ($3.50) is clear favourite for the Soliloquy off the back of wins in the O’Leary’s Fillies Stakes and Gold Trail Stakes.
‘‘She’s come back a much better filly this spring,’’ said trainer Lisa Latta. ‘‘This is her first go over
1400m so we’ll see how she goes.’’ A good effort will encourage Latta to head to Riccarton for the
1600m Guineas.
The Brownes don’t imagine the Guineas distance will bother their filly.
‘‘It’s the race she’s been set for this campaign and the 1600 metres should suit her perfectly,’’ Browne said.
The dark horse in the Soliloquy might prove to be Campari ($9) from the Cambridge stable of Stephen Marsh.
‘‘She’s a lovely O’Reilly filly and has handled wet tracks reasonably well and has been working pretty well.,’’ Marsh said.
‘‘The horse’s that have been beating her are not bad horses and if she can get some black-type it makes her a very valuable filly.’’
She has form around quality youngsters Te Akau Shark, favourite for the 2000 Guineas, and Sarten Memorial winner Sumstreetsum where who is also well in the betting for the same race.
She placed behind Shadow Dancer in the other of her three race starts and is obviously smart.
Kapoor ($9) has shown she can handle a variety of footing which will be an advantage.
Missing from both the Soliloquy and Guineas will be John Morell’s talented filly Florence Jean.
Morell has withdrawn the Pins filly from Saturday’s race.
She suffered from a virus in early September, but bounced back to finish runner-up in the Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) last month.
Morell has sent Florence Jean for a spell after a persistent cough failed to resolve.
‘‘Her bloods are perfect, but when you work her she is still coughing,’’ Morell told NZ Racing Desk.
‘‘It’s no good going to the races unless you’re 100 per cent right. It’s just not worth risking her and there are plenty of three-year-old races after Christmas.’’