Molly Bloom and Grande Gallo confirmed their fitness for Saturday’s New Zealand 1000 Guineas with a sound final hitout at Matamata on Tuesday morning ahead of their charter flight to Christchurch.
Most fast work took place on the plough and intermittent fog prevented the sectional timing of some gallops.
Molly Bloom (Rastrick) and Grande Gallo (Farr) were well matched over 1200m, running the distance in 1:18.2 and quickening from the 1000m mark in 1:02.4. No 600m time was possible, but the O’Sullivan/Scott-trained pair looked very comfortable over the final stages.
Molly Bloom, the fixed odds favourite for the 1000 Guineas, has trained on well from her unlucky run in the Soliloquy Stakes, while Grande Gallo, currently at $21 on the Guineas market, has also done everything right since her Tauranga maiden win.
Brando (Kamaruddin) impressed in his gallop ahead of Saturday’s Tauranga Stakes, cutting out 1200m in 1:18.5 and building momentum over the last 1000m in 1:01.9 and 600m in 35.5. Stablemate and race rival Prise De Fer was ridden by recent South African arrival Billy Jacobson in his hitout over 1000m in 1:03.3 and 36.2. Jacobson, a friend of current premiership leader Warren Kennedy, expects to be licensed in time to ride at Tauranga.
Fellini (Allen) and Rule Of Law (Burdan), two other Walker/Bergerson-trained starters at Tauranga, were paired in smart work over 1000m in 1:03 and 35.5. Key Largo (Yuki) prepared for Tauranga with 1000m in 1:02.9 and 36.8, while Quartz Queen (M Brosnan) also worked soundly ahead of the weekend over the same ground in 1:03.8 and 36.4.
Our Alley Cat (Prendergast) and Amberite (Cox) did well together over 1000m in 1:03.4 and 35.8. The Vicki Prendergast-trained pair are shaping up well ahead of next weeks’ Counties Cup meeting.
Extortion (Turner) and Born Ruler (Harris) prepared for Hastings on Sunday with 1000m in 1:04.9 and 36.8. Two more from the Cody Cole team, Tianzi (Turner) and Incubo (McCall), were timed over 1000m in 1:04.4. Fog prevented any sectional split for the Tauranga-bound pair.
Hastings entry Invincibeel (Leighton) worked over ground and was timed from the 1200m in 1:17.4, 1:06.4 and 36.2. In similar work Grace ’N’ Glory (M Brosnan) returned 1:18.2, 1:03.4 and 37.
Therapeutic (S Singh) and Darci’s Angel (Kareem) were well held over 1000m in 1:07.8 and 41.5, while Pendragon (Yuki) got through similar work in 1:08.2 and 40.1.
Smart three-year-old Lupo Solitario (Leighton) breezed in from the 800m in 56.6 and 41.2 in his first hitout since returning from a short break. He looks very well.
On the No. 1 sand, two-year-olds Rocky Marciano (C Grylls) and an unnamed U S Navy Flag gelding (S McKay), travelled up well over their last 600m in 37.2. Alminette (Allen) ran a solo 1000m in 1:08.6.