Well-bred stayer Rainbow Delight (NZ) (Savabeel) has found his feet back on home soil and will aim to complete a hattrick at Te Rapa on Saturday when contesting the Marsh Racing – Good Luck ‘EV’ (2400m).
A son of champion sire Savabeel and multiple Australian Group One-winning mare Suavito, ainbow Delight is a half-brother to Group Three-winning filly Sethito (NZ) (Super Seth), and was initially prepared by Forsman to place in a two-year-old trial before he was sold to Hong Kong.
Unplaced in three starts in the Asian jurisdiction, Rainbow Delight returned to be raced by the Cambridge horseman and in his second run back, he picked up an awaited maiden victory.
“I trained him and he only had the one trial before he was sold up to Hong Kong,” Forsman said. “He didn’t really settle in and I don’t think there was a lot of suitable racing up there for a staying type of horse like he is.
“We were thankful to have him back and give him his chance here, it’s taken him a fair while to acclimatise and get back into how we do things down here, but he seems to have his confidence up now.”
That confidence was on full display at Trentham earlier this month, where Rainbow Delight put an extending six-length margin on his rivals over 2200m. While never questioning his talent, Forsman was still more hopeful than confident that he would produce such an effort.
“I was hopeful, but you never know,” Forsman said. “He’s certainly capable of that, I just really wanted to see him put back-to-back performances together.
“He’s won a couple of fairly winnable races and he strikes another here, but he’s going up in grade every time, so you don’t quite know where his level is. On ability, he can be winning again.”
Later in the day, Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400) winner Yaldi (NZ) (Ardrossan) will chase another stakes victory in the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), but is coming off an uncharacteristic run at the course a fortnight ago.
Forsman is willing to put that effort behind him, where Yaldi raced fiercely midfield behind a slow tempo and was unable to finish in his typical fashion.
“He got back on a slow tempo and he just wanted to over-race and get on with it,” Forsman said. “I think we have to put it behind us, he was pretty fresh going into it.
“This is a bigger, better field and there will be a lot more tempo on. I think he should be fine, it’s just the wide draw and hoping he doesn’t get too far off them.”
Talented juvenile The Espy (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) is looking to finish his brief campaign with a flourish in the Cambridge Raceway 2YO (1200m) after impressing second-up at Tauranga in late March. Off the back of that performance, Forsman considered a tilt at stakes company for the son of U S Navy Flag but opted to bypass the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m) on a soft surface.
“He does want a really good track and I think the track would’ve just not suited the other day, with the bad weather and forecast leading into it,” Forsman said.
“Hopefully he gets a decent surface on Saturday and at this stage it looks like he might, we just hope the rain that is forecasted on the day doesn’t eventuate.
“This will be it for him, he’ll go out for a break and come back to be ready for the spring.”
Across the Tasman on Friday, Forsman will have one representative out of his Flemington stable in Prochester (NZ) (Proisir) taking on the Listed VRC St Leger (2800m).
The Proisir three-year-old produced the best run of his career last start when third in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m), won by subsequent Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m) winner Kiwi Skyhawk (NZ) (Contributer).
“The only other option left for him over middle distance was Ellerslie and he just hasn’t fired right-handed for whatever reason, so I thought we’d go here, and the further the better for him,” Forsman said.
“He’s fairly one-paced, but it was a good solid run the other day so you’d think the 2800 at Flemington should suit him. It’s meant to rain tomorrow (Friday) and I think he’s fine on any track, but if it does cut up a little bit, he may handle it a little better than some others would.
“He’s been great since travelling over, he went in the middle of last week and settled in really well.”
To be ridden by Harry Coffey, Prochester is among six Kiwi-breds in the A$200,000 contest, including the Te Akau and Fortuna representative West Indies.
