McNab looks to break the No 1 barrier aboard Entriviere
This mare is very fast and she holds her sprint right through the line. She’s a very good horse. Michael McNab on Entriviere
Michael McNab can’t wait to ride the fastest horse of his career at Trentham today but he just wishes it wasn’t from barrier one.
McNab has been handed the treasured ride on Entriviere in the $250,000 Telegraph after the suspension of last-start rider Opie Bosson and injury to previous jockey Danielle Johnson.
He is the right jockey for the job, riding in career-best form, mentally focused and second on the premiership, even after coming off a suspension that finished yesterday.
“I’m really looking forward to it because I haven’t ridden that many really fast sprinters,” says McNab.
“I was lucky enough to win this race three years ago on Enzo’s Lad, but before that, the best sprinter I probably rode was Danroad.
“But this mare is very fast and she holds her sprint right through the line. She’s a very good horse, so I can’t wait to get on her.”
The only concern McNab has, and concerns are normal heading into any Group 1 race, is the ace draw.
While bookies and many punters will see that as an advantage, McNab says he would have preferred a middle barrier.
“I would have liked somewhere 4-6, and to be honest; the only barrier I didn’t want was 1,” McNab told the Weekend Herald.
“It raises at least the possibility she could get locked away and it’ll be my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“So the first job of that is getting her out of the gate well, then if we’re to follow something, follow the right horse.
“It’s only a small field and I’m confident we will get a gap, because with the dog leg, they usually fan out coming in to the straight. So I might even come off the rail then.”
On what she showed when smashing many of today’s rivals in the Railway at Ellerslie on January 1, Entriviere can probably afford to lose a length changing lanes in the middle stages and still win, particularly if key rival Levante gets too far back in a field containing a few who might struggle to drag her into the race.
If she gets the breaks and doesn’t lose momentum, Entriviere should win, with Levante the obvious danger and newcomer Mascarpone the best place value.
As freakish as Entriviere is for a Kiwi sprinter, she isn’t the only highlight of McNab’s day, as he has a superb book of rides, including Pareanui Bay in the $110,000 Wellington Guineas, Sherwood Forest in the $80,000 Trentham Stakes and Hanalei in the $60,000 Wellesley Stakes.
“It is a really strong book and Pareanui Bay is going to be very hard to beat because his work on Tuesday morning was world class,” said McNab.
“The travel down there won’t bother him because nothing does, and from the draw, I’d like to be three pairs back. He will love the big track and is a real winner.”
McNab hopes to have former Derby winner Sherwood Forest up near the speed and rolling along, with the 2100m on the big track seemingly ideal.
“He’s coming back to his best and he’s a good each way chance, while I think Hanalei is a nice filly and she will be hard to beat in the juvenile race.”
Add in Shezzacatch (R1, No 8), who looks to have finally found the right race, and Samiam Seussie in race nine, and it is going to take something special from one of his rivals to beat McNab in the jockeys’ challenge.