Top youngsters reappear
A Group III test at Hastings on Saturday will define the 3-year-old paths of a trio of Matamata stablemates.
Trainer Graham Richardson will make firm plans for the unbeaten pair of Babe and Volpe Veloce and Tesia after the Gold Trail Stakes.
‘‘I’ll decide which direction they take after Saturday,’’ he said. The Waikato Stud-bred and owned Babe hasn’t raced since she made a successful debut at Te Rapa last month.
‘‘I’m very happy with her, she’s done really well and the Gold Trail’s going to be a very hot field – it will give us a really good guide on her,’’ Richardson said.
‘‘Jason Collett is going to ride Babe and Johnathan Parkes will ride Volpe Veloce and Shaun Mckay will be on Tesia.’’
Like her stablemates, Babe is nominated for the New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. Volpe Veloce was a first-up winner on her home track last season before she closed her first campaign with victory in the Castletown Stakes.
Richardson was more than happy with her recent effort for third at the Te Teko trials, as he was with Tesia who finished fourth in the same heat. She won one of her four juvenile starts last season from Lance Noble’s stable.
Meanwhile, the multiple winner Snapshot will also race at Hastings. ‘‘He’ll run in the open 1200, he hasn’t quite turned in the coat yet but he’s going well,’’ Richardson said.
He was also pleased with the first-up placing at Hastings of the stakes winner and multiple Group I placegetter Strada Cavallo.
‘‘It was a very good run and I’m not quite sure yet whether she’ll run there again over 1400 metres or if we wait for a mile,’’ Richardson said.