Quirky three-year-old Croupier has one more box to tick to book his passage to Brisbane.
He might be a handful at times but has an abundance of ability and comeback trainer Andrew Campbell has plans in place for Ace High’s son to showcase that talent at the Queensland winter carnival.
Croupier was a luckless fifth on debut behind stakes winner Super Photon last month at Trentham and returned there on Saturday to post a narrow victory over 1400m after racing greenly.
“It was a tough watch, but he was good in the last 50m. He’s come through the race super, he hasn’t left an oat,” Campbell said.
“He’s got plenty of tricks up his sleeve and you have to go with the flow with him, you wouldn’t beat him even if you tried. His nickname’s Bully and just does what he wants.
“He’s a grouse horse though and when the penny really drops, he’s going to be pretty good.”
Croupier will be back in action at Ellerslie this weekend with a trip to Australia on the line.
“I’m going to back him up at Auckland in a Rating 65 mile on Saturday and Michael McNab is booked to ride him again, which is great,” Campbell said.
“He’d have to win, or be really unlucky, to go over.”
All going to plan, Croupier will have two lead-up races into the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31.
“There’s the Queensland Guineas (Gr.2, 1600m), the Rough Habit Plate (Gr.3, 2000m) and then the Derby.
“I think he’ll stay all day, he’s by Ace High and he relaxes and drops the bit, we’re all pretty excited.”
Saturday’s victory also marked Campbell’s successful return to the training ranks after he changed tack three years ago for a career as a bloodstock agent, before returning to the fold after relocating from Cambridge to Otaki.
Croupier was purchased by Campbell and Tommy Heptinstall for $160,000 out of Beaufort Downs’ draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.
His dam Lady Zafira was a talented mare who won five races up to 1600 metres and the daughter of Iffraaj also ran third in the Listed Rotorua Stakes and fourth in the G1 Telegraph Handicap.
“I’ve got three in work, and we bought six at the sales that are being broken in at the moment and a couple of nice horses in the paddock having a breather,” Campbell said.
“I’m going to keep it at 10 horses, it’s so enjoyable with a small team like that, it’s great.”