Matamata trainer Paul Richards will head north to Pukekohe on Wednesday with just the one runner, but he is hoping that is enough to add to his season haul of six victories.
Waikato Stud-bred and raced filly Rhythm ‘N’ Spice will make her debut, and takes winning trial form into the race.
The daughter of Ardrossan has had four trial outings, winning her most recent trial over 950m on the Cambridge Synthetic last month.
Richards was pleased with her performance but said she is more suited to grass tracks and is looking forward to her making her debut on that surface this week.
“She is in good order. It is nice to have one for Waikato Stud and hopefully she can do a bit of a job,” Richards said.
“Her trial was good. That is not her ideal footing, she has got an action that prefers a bit of cut in the ground, hence why she is at Pukekohe tomorrow.”
Richards will go from trainer to sponsor at Oamaru’s meeting on Thursday, where the former jockey will join his son Jamie and a number of other former and present riders in sponsoring the nine-race card.
“Jack McKenzie (Oamaru Jockey Club) has been on the phone looking for a bit of sponsorship, so we got involved there,” Richards said.
“It was a good track to ride on, they could win from anywhere, and I rode a lot of winners there.”
Richards will return to his training role this weekend, where he will line up last-start placegetter Letsbringthebling who is dual-nominated for Tauranga on Saturday and Te Aroha on Sunday.
“It was a nice placing last start, and the heavy track isn’t going to concern her, she likes to get her foot in a bit. She should be competitive,” he said.
Meanwhile, Richards’ eight-win gelding Seajetz finished runner-up behind Helena Baby in a hurdle trial at Cambridge last month, but he has no intentions of sending him out over fences on race day.
“That was more of a training tool,” he said. “The owners don’t want to jump him, but I talked them into giving him a hurdle trial, more as a training aid than anything. You have got to mix it up a bit with him, it keeps him interested.
“He won’t be seen hurdling and will probably go to Hastings in a couple of weeks.”
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