Mare taking on NZ’s best
YOU have got to be in to win.
That is the attitude the camp behind star Wingatui mare The Precious One have taken ahead of Saturday’s $250,000 Telegraph at Trentham.
Earlier this week the 4yrold completed the first leg of a twopart trek to follow in the footsteps of her sire and dam and put a valuable group 1 victory on her resume.
Her trip north was confirmed after trainer Claire Anderton and owners the Dennis brothers, of Woodlands, agreed that they would not shy away from taking on New Zealand’s best sprinters.
“As Tony [Dennis] said, if you are not prepared to have a go at the big races, you may as well put her in the broodmare paddock,” Anderton said.
The Precious One will be out to put her name on the Telegraph honour roll alongside her sire Darci Brahma, who won the race in 2007.
Darci Brahma produced a powerful victory when the Telegraph was known as the Telegraph Handicap and was run under handicap conditions.
The Precious One would have got in with a feather weight had the event not changed to be run as a weightforage race for the first time this year.
“The weightforage conditions are not ideal for us, but the time is right for us to go up and have a shot,” Anderton said.
The 5yrold will carry 56.5kg when rider Lisa Allpress combines with her on Saturday.
The Precious One finally fulfilled the potential many racegoers knew she had when bolting in to win last month’s listed Hazlett Stakes on her home track.
The daughter of One Thousand Guineas winner The Jewel has thrived since then.
“I think she has probably improved a bit from Wingatui, but she is going to have needed to.”
Her win came on a rainaffected track rated at slow8.
The Trentham track was rated at dead5 yesterday, which Anderton considered perfect for her mare.
“I see there are a few showers forecast and if it stays at a dead5 that would be perfect.”
Yesterday, MetService said showers were possible in the Upper Hutt region today and on Saturday.
Any downgrading of the track condition to slow would aid The Precious One. However that is not because she is simply a wettrack specialist.
“She is probably more adaptable than a lot of other horses on a wet track,but she has run some pretty fast sectionals on a firm track,” Anderton said.
Bookmakers rated The Precious One the second outsider of Saturday’s field at $34 when the Telegraph’s fixedodds market was released.
Australian sprinter Winter Bride and Matamata mare Avantage were the equal favourites at $3.80.
The Precious One travels to Wellington from Christchurch tonight.