Narrow win for Way In

Shaune Ritchie deflected much of the credit for the latest success of his Karaka Million hope Way In to his wife Alison and his staff.

The Cambridge trainer produced the filly to win the NZB Insurance Pearl Series 2YO at Ellerslie on Saturday by the barest of margins and set up a crack at the country’s richest event.

“She’s had a lot of jarring- up issues and my wife and the staff have done a great job with her – it’s been a good team effort,” Ritchie said.

“We’ll get a roll of the dice now at a million dollar race.”

Way In, who races in the famous colours of Bonecrusher, has now moved into the third qualifying spot for the Karaka Million with a debut victory and two minor placings at Listed level from her previous four appearances.

She settled off the pace at Ellerslie and sprinted to the front halfway down the straight before withstanding the late rails run of Riding Shotgun.

“It was a tough effort and she was in front a long way out and gawked around and she just held on,” rider Danielle Johnson said.

Meanwhile, Group 1 filly Spellbinder may also return to Ellerslie on January 25 for the Listed NZB Karaka 3YO Mile.

The daughter of O’Reilly was given a necessary break after finishing third in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas and allayed any prerace fears trainer Jason Bridgman had with victory in the Pegasus Equine Rating 1200.

“She was very sore after Riccarton,” he said.

“I did have reservations and she’d only had one piece of strong work, so that was sheer class.”

Bridgman has the Karaka 3YO Mile in mind for Spellbinder and longer term he believes she is an ideal candidate for a trip to the Queensland winter carnival.