El Vencedor has been given the green light to defend his title in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The reigning Horse of the Year, who completed a Group One weight-for-age hat-trick last autumn, has won just one of his seven starts this season and serious doubts about his future were raised when he faded badly to finish eighth in last Saturday’s Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie.
At the time his trainer Stephen Marsh said that El Vencedor would back up in the Herbie Dyke Stakes only if he was “120 percent” happy with him, and on Wednesday morning he reported that after extensive tests and other observations, he will take his place.
“We went over him with every possible test and we can find absolutely nothing wrong with him; his blood and heart and everything else are fine,” Marsh said.
“He went out to the beach at Raglan this morning and just enjoyed himself, he looks bright and well and to be frank we can’t find any reason why he shouldn’t run.
“Opie (Bosson) said he was just too laid back on Saturday, so we’ve decided to take the ear muffs off and see if that makes a difference. Wiremu (Pinn) has ridden him a lot, so we’ll go back to the tried and true there.
“If there was any doubt about his soundness we wouldn’t be running, but if he was to run poorly again we would probably pull stumps and even consider retiring him.
“He’s been a wonderful horse who owes us nothing, so we’ll see what happens at Te Rapa and take it from there.”
Marsh will be double-handed in Saturday’s second weight-for-age feature, the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m), with the highest rated horse in his stable, Provence, and three-race winner Tardelli.
“Provence had to run at Ellerslie to get to Te Rapa and the way the race was run she had no chance, but she’s very well,” he said.
“A mile is her pet distance and we’re targeting the Otaki Classic and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes with her, but at 1400 with good tempo I could still see her running into it.
“George Rooke will stay with her and Jonathan Riddell is on Tardelli. He’s only lightly raced and he was great over 1200 with that fourth in the Railway.
“He’ll love the step up in distance and he’s a big strong colt, so the weight-for-age conditions shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage.”
At Tauranga on Thursday, Marsh will have a keen eye on his resuming three-year-old Magic Carpet, the winner of the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas in October and lining up in Rating 75 1400m company off the back off a trial placing at Pukekohe.
The Satono Aladdin colt holds a nomination for the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby, but Marsh rates him a better prospect for the NZB Kiwi on the same Champions Day card at Ellerslie in a month’s time.
“I would have preferred to run him in his own age-group but they scrapped the three-year-old race at Tauranga. If he runs well we’ll definitely look at the Kiwi with him.”
Marsh, runner-up to the powerful Te Akau stable in the last six seasons and currently a closest ever 13 wins behind the Mark Walker/Sam Bergerson partnership with 56 wins versus 69, reports that his headline act Well Written is making all the right moves in the countdown to the NZB Kiwi.
“She’s perfect,” he said succinctly. “Matt (Cartwright) came in a cantered her around this morning and everything is good with her.
“She looks a picture and is getting that freshness back in her legs. We won’t have to do too much with her, maybe a trip to Ellerslie on the 21st (of February) for a breeze around, so we’re in a good place with her.”
Well Written, who extended her unbeaten sequence to five with a facile win in the Listed Karaka Millions 3YO 12 days ago, remains the $1.20 favourite for the $4 million slot race on March 7. - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
