Unbeaten galloper Fiery Red (NZ) (Iffraaj) will be out to enhance Winton trainer Sophie Price’s enviable strike rate over the past couple of seasons when she tackles the Thomas Green 1200 at Gore on Wednesday.
Iffraaj four-year-old mare Fiery Red was a debut winner at Riverton in May and goes into the Rating 65 race with the benefit of a 1000m jumpout win at Winton last month.
“She’s worked up really well. She’s quite a hot mare. I was going to take her straight to Dunedin but she’s just thinking a wee bit and that’s why we’ve decided to go to Gore first,” Price said.
“I didn’t take her to the last lot of jumpouts but she had a jumpout about a month ago and went really well. She had a nice hit-out.
“She is promising but she might be six months away. She showed me enough at Riverton when she won.”
Fiery Red will wear pre-race ear covers as Price looks to keep her settled at the barriers.
“Hopefully she can jump and run and be up there handy,” Price said.
“We’ll take it race by race with her. She’s only a fine mare and with her being so hot, there’s not much left of her after a race.
“She definitely won’t go to Cup week; she’s not ready for that. She might even have a couple of weeks off after this and we could aim her for something around Christmas time.”
Price, who has won 11 races from her last 46 starters, will have three runners at Wednesday’s Gore meeting, with So You Think four-year-old mare Tora Rose (NZ) on debut in the Howl At The Moon 1200 and Rip Van Winkle gelding Denali (NZ) tackling the Gore Venue Bonus 1355.
Tora Rose, a $2200 gavelhouse.com purchase, has had two jumpouts at Winton for Price after three unplaced trials when trained in the North Island.
“She won her last jumpout last week. She has improved but she’s still really green and she’s a wee bit of a thinker and that’s probably her only downfall at the moment,” Price said.
“She’s a nice horse. She’ll probably have one start and then we’ll assess things. I don’t expect too much but it would be nice if she could show something. Hopefully she does everything right.”
Denali was a two-length jumpout winner at Winton and Price was optimistic of a bold fresh-up run.
“He’s improved a hell of a lot. He’s a lot bigger this time in after a good break,” she said.
“Fresh-up over 1355m, he might surprise us, though he is more of a stayer. Hopefully he goes a handy enough race and we might go to Dunedin next week.”
Also headed to the Wingatui Melbourne Cup day meeting next Tuesday will be Price’s last-start Winton Cup winner Silent Battler (NZ) (Battle Paint) for the 1400m open handicap and last-start Invercargill runner-up The Mole (NZ) (Gallant Guru) for a 1600m Rating 74 event.
“There’s a race on the last day at Riccarton during Cup week for Silent Battler and we’ll aim there with him. He’s not a real hard tracker and the tracks are getting a bit firmer so we’ll take a chance while we can. He’s come through that last win in amazing order. I’m really happy with him.”
The Mole’s form looks even better after her Invercargill conqueror King Of The Castle (Castledale) won again at Riccarton on Saturday.
“She really surprised me because it was a pretty tough run fresh-up over a mile at Invercargill. I didn’t think she’d hang on like she did but she dug in and kept going,” Price said.
“She’s been working great since that run. She’s come through it really well.”
Price has been delighted with the success of her small team but had no secret recipe for her good run of form.
“I’ve moved stables and had a baby (14-month-old son Quinn) but I really don’t know what the secret is. The horses all seem to be happy anyway,” she said.
“I’ve got a nice wee team. They all seem to be going really well. It would be nice if we can keep it up.”
