La Crique caps big day out for locals
It may have taken an extra seven days to come to fruition, but Matamata mare La Crique ($3.50) finally won the $300,000 G1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) at Matamata yesterday.
The 4-year-old daughter of Vadamos had been favourite to take the race at Hastings last Saturday, but heavy rain saw the race transferred.
Settled beautifully in an early trailing position by regular pilot Craig Grylls, La Crique eased up on the inside of pacemaker Deerfield to assume control at the 600m. Grylls pushed the button on La Crique as he rounded the home bend and soon had race favourite Imperatriz ($1.80) and the pursuing pack off the bit as they attempted to chase her down.
Maintaining a powerful gallop, La Crique won comfortably by four lengths from Mustang Valley, who ran home resolutely to shade Prise De Fer for second, with Imperatriz weakening out to finish a well-beaten eighth.
Local runner Pier dominated his 3-year-old rivals in the closing stages of the 140K Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), dashing away to win.
The strapping son of Proisir was in his element on his home surface for trainers Darryn and Briar Weatherley.
And another local, Paisley Park, showed he had taken plenty of improvement from his first-up performance at Te Rapa last month when he came with a withering late burst to score in the $65K Matamata Cup (1600m).
The Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall-trained 8-year-old had given plenty of cheek over 1200m in his campaign opener before weakening late in the piece and stripped in better nick for his home track feature.
A well-judged ride by Wiremu Pinn, who had already completed a winning double aboard Pennsylvania and The Intimidator, saw Paisley Park settle back near last before improving approaching the home bend.
Pinn got everything out of the son of Azamour as he dropped on White Noise and Markus Aurelius to win by a head with other two dead-heating.
Anamoe and ex-pat Kiwi jockey James McDonald won the $1.09m Might and Power (2000m) at Caulfield yesterday from I’m Thunderstruck and Zaaki. McDonald then rode Golden Mile to win the $3.6m Caulfield Guineas, completing a big double for trainer James Cummings.