La Diosa worthy favourite
A win on La Diosa in the 1000 Guineas would be a fitting farewell for Malaysia-bound apprentice Racha Cuneen.
He is awaiting a Visa and tomorrow’s Riccarton meeting could be his last raceday before he flies out to Malaysia.the Malaysian Racing Association has approved Cuneen’s application to ride there.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Cuneen’s Christchurch employer, trainer Neil Ridley, have allowed him to spend three months in Malaysia.
‘‘I’ll see how things go over there. If they go well, I might stay on or I’ll come back and finish my apprenticeship with Neil,’’ Cuneen said.
Cuneen said La Diosa and Mulberry were the best chances among his six rides at Riccarton.
La Diosa, trained at Ngapuke in North Canterbury by Mandy and Matt Brown, is a $2.80 favourite in fixed odds betting for the 1000 Guineas.
She won an open 3-year-old feature, the Listed $50,000 Barneswood Farm Stakes, at Ashburton on October 15 in her latest start. She was last of 10 turning for home and unleashed a swift late run to outfinish quality colts Heroic Valour (second) and Savile Row (third).
‘‘She was pretty impressive and to go past the colts like that, was pretty good,’’ Cuneen said.
Last Saturday at Riccarton, Savile Row ran second and Heroic Valour was third in the 2000 Guineas.
Cuneen said the daughter of So You Think was improving with every start.
‘‘She’s pretty laid back. When you ask her go, she’s got that turn of foot.
‘‘I think she’s a big chance [in the Guineas] . . . Mandy and Matt will have her ready.’’
The 1000 Guineas will be the second Group I race Cuneen has ridden in following his second on Miss Seton Sands in the Telegraph at Trentham in January.
The two horses Mandy Brown trained on her own account for the 2002 Guineas finished second (Chestpeak) and 13th (Leeu).
In 1998, she saddled Morgan Glory to run ninth in the premier event.
The Browns formed a training partnership in 2005.
Mandy Brown said La Diosa had trained up to the mark since winning at Ashburton and was 100 percent for the Guineas. Two starts back, the filly won the Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton on September 17.
Plans for La Diosa include a two-week spell after the Guineas and to nominate her for the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham in March.
An Australian campaign after the Oaks was a possibility, Mandy Brown said.
The name La Diosa means the goddess in Spanish.
Mandy Brown won the New Zealand Cup with Torlesse in 2003, while in 2014 the Brown partnership had a memorable victory with Soubrettes in the Stewards Stakes Handicap.