Breslin eyes triple Group targets at Riccarton

MIKE BRESLIN will be hoping Saturday’s winning treble at Riccarton could be just the entree before the main course.

After his win in the North Canterbury Cup last Saturday, Brad Thorn, is guaranteed a start in the Group III New Zealand Cup and Ringo was back in winning form on his way to the Group II Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.

The Awapuni trainer has also confirmed Salamanca will be aimed at the Group III Stewards Stakes, after running 11th in the Group III Spring Sprint at Hasting on Saturday.

Ringo’s win in the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile Prelude at Riccarton on Saturday was his first since May 2014 and he is likely to be back at Riccarton in the Coupland’s Bakeries Mile Trial on October 24.

The six-year-old son of Fastnet Rock could have run in the same race as Salamanca last Saturday but Breslin said that would have been a big ask, fresh up.

‘‘He hadn’t won a race in a while so it was good to get him soft run and get his confidence back up.’’

Breslin will wait to see how Brad Thorn pulls up this week and what sort of rating he gets from the handicapper but at this stage he favours heading to Ashburton for a rating 85 over 2100m, rather than heading to the Listed Spring Classic over 2000m, seven days later.

Brad Thorn was a difficult horse to ride and Breslin doubted he had ever won a race by more than half a length.

He predicts he will have a better idea after the six-year-old son of Thorn Park’s next start but thinks he will get the two miles.

Breslin’s third Riccarton winner on Saturday, Heni, will also stay in Christchurch for Cup week.