Sindacato (NZ) (Per Incanto) has some unfinished business in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) and he will be looking to rectify that at Pukekohe next month.
The now eight-year-old gelding ran third in the race two years ago for trainer Roydon Bergerson before heading to Sydney for a 12-month stint.
He has returned to the care of the Awapuni conditioner and will attempt to seal his spot in the race when he heads to Wanganui on Saturday to contest the Wanganui Motors And The Dyke Family 1600.
The son of Per Incanto posted a first-up win for Bergerson in April and slightly disappointed with his return this prep with two sixth placed results at Hastings.
He subsequently trialled at Foxton on Tuesday, winning his 1200m heat over stablemate Town Cryer (NZ) (Tavistock) and Bergerson believes his charge his spot on for his weekend assignment.
“He has always shown us a lot,” Bergerson said. “His last two runs have been a bit battling but he just needs to get his foot in the ground, if it moves around on him he is not the same horse.
“He trialled well yesterday (Tuesday) and he was full of himself this morning. He pulled up very well.
“He should run really well on Saturday. He has got a tricky draw (13) but we have got a good jockey (Johnathan Parkes), so he will work it out.”
Sindacato will be joined in the race by stablemate Sweetjineen (NZ) (Nadeem).
“She pulled up with a bruised heel after her last start. She was taken on the whole way and dropped out in the last furlong,” Bergerson said.
“She has trained on really well and looks amazing. They are both good chances.”
Bergerson is also looking forward to three-year-old gelding Vee Vee (NZ) (Vadamos) having his second career start in the Palamountains Animal Nutrition Maiden (1340m) after running fourth on debut at Otaki earlier this month.
“I really like the horse,” he said. “He will probably start showing a lot more when he gets up to a mile or further. I think he has got a good pedigree that says he will stay. He is a very nice horse.”
Great Escape (NZ) (Iffraaj) will represent the stable in the Listed The O’Leary’s Fillies Stakes (1340m) and Bergerson is hoping to snare black-type for owner-breeder Goodwood Stud.
“We will have a throw at the stumps, she is a nice enough filly,” he said.
“I thought her run was good the other day, she hit the line strongly. She is a nice filly going forward.
“It is a tough field, but we are chasing black-type because the stud owns her. She will be a valuable filly if she can run in the first three.
“She has got a good draw (2) and a good rider, no one rides Wanganui like Lisa Allpress.”
Rounding out Bergerson’s Wanganui team will be Perfect Turn (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) in the Loaders Wanganui 2040 and Rheneas (NZ) (Alamosa) in the Boss Homes LTD 1200.
“It will be Rheneas’ first-up run since he won on the poly,” Bergerson said. “He trialled up okay the other day and his work has been good since. He has just got a tricky draw (14), that is the trouble. We have taken three-kilos off his back (with apprentice jockey Jim Chung’s claim), which is a bit of a help.
“With Perfect Turn, it is not ideal to go straight up to 2000m but we trialled him yesterday to help him get that little bit of extra fitness. I was hoping for a really good draw because he can jump and land on the speed and would be hard to beat, but he has got a bad draw (15).”
While looking forward to Saturday, Bergerson has a more immediate target at Otaki on Thursday where two-year-old filly Vitaci (NZ) (Tivaci) will make her debut in the Vets On Riverbank (1100m).
“She has got a lot of talent but hasn’t really got the head to control it at the moment,” Bergerson said.
“We took her to the trials and she was a little bit erratic and ran wide on the corner and got a bit lost. We took her back to the jumpouts at Levin a couple of weeks ago and she couldn’t have been more impressive, she won by 10 lengths. “If she can put it all together tomorrow, she will run really well.”