Tony Pike found it difficult to split his juvenile charges the last time they took each other on and it’s the same story at Ruakaka.
The Cambridge trainer has form runners Boombox and Ashoka in Saturday’s ITM/GIB 2YO Championship (1200m), in what will be a rematch of their Ellerslie meeting earlier this month.
On that occasion, it was the former who held bragging rights, but it wouldn’t come as any surprise to Pike if Ashoka was able to reverse that result.
“He was good at Ellerslie, he just kept drifting out to the middle of the track,” he said.
“There’s obviously natural improvement off a debut run and he has drawn well again with the ace and a very similar trip, so he could easily turn the tables.”
Ashoka is a son of this season’s champion freshman sire in waiting Hello Youmzain and was bred by Pike’s parents Wayne and Vicki and sold to Hong Kong clients after trialling.
His dam Lismore Diamond is a winning daughter of the late Darci Brahma mare Waterford, who Pike trained with Mark Donoghue to win the Listed Counties Bowl (1100m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1200m) and Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Spirit Of Boom youngster Boombox finished fifth in his summer debut before a break and returned to triumph last time out.
“He’s trained on very well and will plant himself up on speed again, so they are both going to be two very nice chances for us,” Pike said.
“I haven’t had to do a lot with them and was more than happy with the way they worked on Tuesday.”
Purchased out of breeder Berkley Stud’s Karaka draft for $50,000, Boombox will be ridden by Triston Moodley again while Jasmine Fawcett retains the mount on Ashoka.
“It’s one of the last two-year-old races worth a bit of money ($60,000) and they will definitely head out for a bit of a break after Saturday,” Pike said.
He is also bullish about the chances of Turn Me Loose’s son Roederer in the ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup Stayers’ Final (2100m).
He has placed at his last two appearances and is another good ride for the in-form Moodley.
“I thought he could go close, he’s going really well and improved off his Ellerslie run where he probably covered a bit too much ground on the corner,” Pike said.
“All the others are genuine each-way chances with the right runs.”
They are Starlit Express (Ruakaka Your Best Bet In Winter, 1200m), Delz Abeel (Northland Business Systems Maiden, 1600m) and Urlar (ITM/GIB Progressive Championship Final (1600m). – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
