Humidor to strike Winx
It might just be a Kiwi galloper who halts the winning run of champion mare Winx.
Bred in New Zealand, raced on this side of the Tasman until his transfer to Victoria, Humidor is part-owned by the Carter siblings of Auckland and a big hope in Saturday’s Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
A son of Teofilo, Humidor was bred by the Carters and is out of Zabeel’s daughter Zalika, and was previously trained by Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard at Otaki and he won four of his 10 starts under their guidance earning nearly $150,000.
He transferred to Weir last year after huge offers by his stable clients which saw the Carter family sell 50 per cent.
In the meantime he has won two more races, run some placings and earned total stakes of A$1.875 million.
A win on Saturday would take him beyond A$2 million and guarantee favouritism for the A$3 million Caulfield Cup in a few weeks.
The way he demolished the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) field on September 17 suggests the step to 2000m will suit him ideally and make him a major threat to Winx. However, early odds have Winx ($1.20) a dominant favourite with Humidor ($5.50) second in the market.
Humidor is the standout among a number of horses with a Kiwi connection entered at Flemington.
Taranaki stayer Pentathlon is back on the path that saw him run ninth and earn $133,125 in last year’s Melbourne Cup. The John Wheeler-trained 6-year-old has been flown to Melbourne for the 2500m Bart Cummings on Saturday.
Pentathlon is well down the starting order for the A$6 million Melbourne Cup with a handicap of just 50.5kg, but a ballot-free clause to the winner of the Bart Cummings is the reason he is in the race.
The Pentire gelding has had two starts this campaign and his effort for fourth in the most recent encouraged Wheeler to return to Melbourne. After last year’s effort a return was firmly on the cards and Wheeler has moulded this campaign around the race.
A Kiwi-owned quartet are down to clash in the Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) on Saturday’s card.
Formerly trained by Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs, All Roads re-named All Our Roads since his transfer to Chris Waller’s Australian stable, will meet stablemate Shillelagh, and former Logan/ Gibbs stablemate Wyndspelle along with Moss ‘N’ Dale trained by Peter Gelagotis.
The Baker and Forsman team’s assault on Melbourne continues with 3-year-old Weather With You trying to confirm a VRC Derby start in the Listed UCI Stakes (1800m).
The favourite will be the NZbred Tavistock Abbey while a couple of other contenders are NZowned Padraig and Main Stage for the stable of former Cambridge couple Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
Also of interest to many New Zealand race fans will be the freshup run of NZ-bred Spieth trained by former Huntly man Bryce Heys in the Group II Gilgai Stakes. Corey Brown will ride Spieth as he builds towards the Group I Darley Classic on Emirates Stakes Day.