By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk
Thefixer may be away from home, but trainer Regan Todd has ensured the Group One winner has still had the comforts of the beach while campaigning in the north.
Todd is staying at Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett’s Waiuku property where he has been utilising the local beach to prepare Thefixer for the Gr.1 Woodlands Stud 2020 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Alexandra Park on New Year’s Eve.
The seven-year-old gelding settled in well to his new surroundings earlier this month and posted a runner-up result behind former stablemate Spankem in the Gr.2 Lincoln Farms 2020 Franklin Cup (2700m) first-up.
Todd was pleased with the run, particularly after missing work following his runner-up effort in the Group One NZ Free-For-All (1980m) in November as a result of a minor surgery.
“He seems great and he has had a pretty good prep,” Todd said. “He went well first-up here (Auckland) and he has trained on well since.
“I was really pleased with his run in the Franklin Cup because he missed a little bit of work after Cup Week. He had a cancerous lump on his throat, so we had to get that taken off, but everything has been fine since then and he seems well.”
Todd said Thefixer is thriving out at the beach and he has also experienced great hospitality from Lincoln Farms after his first-up northern run.
“He is loving it at Michelle and Bernie’s, it’s not too much different to what it is like at home for him,” Todd said.
“He has also had a few days out at Lincoln Farms after this first race, to freshen-up.”
Todd is pleased with his charge heading into Thursday night, but he is disappointed to be starting from the second row.
“He seems nice and bright and the only thing would have been if he was able to have drawn the front line,” he said.
“It’s a really good field and the draw (11) is going to make it tough, so we are going to be relying on luck more than anything at the start.”
Todd said he would have also liked to have given Thefixer another lead-in race ahead of Thursday, however, he has been able to keep him up to task on the beach.
“It would have been nice to have a lead-up race last week to keep the fitness up, but we have kept his work up and he seems really good,” Todd said.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we are going in with a happy horse.”
Thefixer will likely stay in the north for one more assignment after Thursday before heading back home to Canterbury.
“He will most likely go to Cambridge (Gr.2 Flying Mile, 1609m), we will just see how he pulls up, and then he will head back home,” Todd said.
