Myakkabelle has been a model of consistency in the lead up to the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and she will take the final step towards the $1 million feature in Sunday’s Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m).
A filly by War Decree, Myakkabelle was amongst the action in each of the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) and Gr.2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), the latter her first time facing off against Oaks favourite Leica Lucy.
While Leica Lucy will be the odds-on pick and filly to beat at Trentham this weekend, Myakkabelle has continued to please her trainers Ben and Ryan Foote, both on and off on race track.
“She was very good in the Fillies Classic, she probably just came to the end of it 100m out but she still fought on strong,” Ben Foote said.
“We’re trying to bring her up to peak at the Oaks, but her work on Tuesday was as good as I’ve seen it, so I think everything is coming to hand nicely with her.”
Joining Myakkabelle on the journey from their Cambridge base will be Rayet and Nancy She Wrote, two mares with a definite liking for the champagne turf.
Rayet came desperately close to winning two starts back at the course, while on the same day, Nancy She Wrote saluted over subsequent winner Lanikai. The pair will start in the MG Tiling and Clarky’s Painting 1200 and Laser Electrical 1600 respectively.
“Rayet went a great race there two starts back and then came home strong last start, but she’d actually smacked her head in the gates,” Ben Foote said. “A couple of horses were declared non-starters, but because she ended up in the trail, she didn’t.
“It was still pretty much a non-race for her I think, and we’ll be expecting her to turn that around on Sunday.
“She (Nancy She Wrote) is a horse with a lot of ability that needs a lot of things to go her way.
“Trentham is such a big, roomy track and things seem to go her way a bit more, she always races well there so we decided to head back down.”
Meanwhile, the stable will be represented in the lucrative COMAG Wairere Falls Classic (1500m) at Matamata the day prior with The Odyssey. The son of Zacinto has already tasted success in an innovation race, winning last year’s $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m), and has gone on to win in open company this term as well as placing in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m).
“He’s been a slow-maturing horse, but he’s strengthened up a lot, his work has been very good,” Ben Foote said.
“He’ll need a touch of luck from the barriers, but he’ll go a good race and then we’ll be on to better things hopefully.”
Earlier in the week, Kakadu got the stable off to winning start at Taupo, producing a dominant victory in the Central Livestock (1200m). A two-time winner on the Cambridge Synthetic, Foote was rapt to see his charge bring that ability to the turf after testing out various distances.
“He’s been a hard horse to work out, some people get off and tell me that he’s a stayer, while others say he’s a sprinter,” he said. “He’s a very big horse that is still maturing.
“We decided to freshen him up and go back to sprinting him, so hopefully we’ve got him worked out now as well.
“He’s always shown us plenty and to win on quite a firm surface yesterday was good to see, sometimes when they go well on the poly you would think they need the easing out of the track.”
