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Sharrock banks on rain as Ladies Man chases Mufhasa Classic repeat
Allan Sharrock is hoping forecast conditions at Trentham can offset a deeper field when Ladies Man (Zed) bids for consecutive wins in Saturday’s Mufhasa Classic (Gr 1, 1600m).The gelding produced a powerful late run to win last year’s edition and heads into this weekend’s race off a similar platform, having finished fourth in the Tauranga Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) three weeks ago. “He was good at Tauranga, I gave him a pass mark for that, but more importantly he’s gone the right way since, his work on Tuesday was very good,” Sharrock said. “It’s probably a stronger field this year, what with Waitak at the top of his form, La Crique there again and with that other very good mare Legarto as well, so it’s not going to be easy. In our favour is the weather they’ve had in Wellington this week; I think a bit of precipitation and with the track currently rated Heavy 8, that could swing things our way.”
Crocetti ruled out of Concorde Stakes
Saturday’s Concorde Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Pukekohe has lost one of its star attractions, with dual Group 1 winner Crocetti (Zacinto) withdrawn after presenting with an elevated temperature on Wednesday morning. Unseen since finishing unplaced in The Quokka (1200m) in April, Crocetti had been set to make his season return in the $120,000 feature. A sharp exhibition gallop at Ellerslie last weekend had marked him as the horse to beat, but his setback has delayed that comeback. “We just found this morning that he had a bit of an elevated temperature,” co-trainer Danny Walker said. “So we had no choice but to pull the pin. It’s always a bit frustrating and disappointing when things like that happen, but that’s the way it goes.” Walker and training partner Arron Tata still expect Crocetti to line up in the Telegraph (Gr 1, 1200m) at Trentham on January 3. “All going well, we’re still hoping to get him down to Wellington for the Telegraph, but we’ll just have to play it by ear in terms of what we do between now and then,” Walker said. “We’ll get him through this first and then take it from there.”
Final Return targeting Ellerslie win
Consistent stayer Final Return (Reliable Man) will return to Ellerslie on New Year’s Day as he searches for a deserved breakthrough at the Auckland track. The gelding has been a regular visitor to Ellerslie, placing four times there, including a third in this year’s Avondale Cup (Gr 3, 2400m). He will step out again for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr 3, 2400m), having finished fourth in this year’s running of the race. Janelle Millar said the six-year-old’s preference for right-handed racing shapes his program. “He hits himself on his left hind hock, so we have to be careful where we race him,” the trainer said. “He’s better going the Ellerslie way and doesn’t hit himself that way around, it’s just his conformation really.” Final Return underlined that suitability with a determined win in the Counties Cup (Gr 3, 2100m) at Pukekohe last start. “He pulled up really well after that, I was quite surprised and thought it may have knocked him, but it didn’t at all,” Millar said. “He was running around the paddock like a two-year-old and he never does that so he’s obviously going very well. He’s probably the highest-rated three-win horse in New Zealand, he’s very consistent, always tries and will stay all day.”
Wrights celebrate second Jericho Cup win
Ian and Shelley Wright are still pinching themselves after their gallant stayer Farag (Sacred Falls) clinched a second straight victory in the Jericho Cup (4415m). The couple were trackside at Warrnambool to watch the gelding repeat his 2024 heroics. Last year Farag demolished the field by 20 lengths; on Sunday the margin was a more measured 1.5 lengths. “It’s a race we were keen to get involved in from day one and when Farag won last year and another of our horses, Glen Massey, finished third, it was a massive thrill,” Ian Wright said. “Going back and doing it all again was absolutely huge, something that we’re still getting our heads around.” Farag was picked up by the Wrights for $1,000 as an unraced gelding on Gavelhouse, and earned $11,000 in 14 New Zealand starts before being sold into a half-share arrangement with Melbourne racing enthusiast Peter Groidis. Transferred to Aaron Purcell early last year, Farag has since raced 28 times for ten wins and now boasts more than $600,000 in prize-money. “We’ve always liked those staying types; people like us find it hard to compete over the shorter distances, but when it comes to horses with stamina we like to think we’ve got a chance,” Wright said. “We’re still keen on our jumpers and it would be good to think there might be another Farag there as well, but horses like him are never easy to find.”