Pam Gerard is hoping to finish her final term in partnership with Michael Moroney on a high over the coming month, kicking off with a small team at Rotorua on Wednesday.
Gerard has been at the helm of the Matamata stable since 2016 and the pair have celebrated their best season to date with 32 winners, the latest being promising stayer Mineshaft at Ruakaka last Saturday.
The Merchant Navy four-year-old relished the step-up over ground, ridden patiently by Kelly Myers at the back before powering through the field to score by 1.5 lengths, the third success in his last six starts.
“He’s a horse that just likes to find his feet early, and we probably rode him a little bit handier than he was used to in the wet track at Te Aroha the start before,” Gerard said.
“When he races in amongst the field he can be a bit competitive, and when we took him down to Wellington and tried him in the Remutaka Classic he led up and that wasn’t quite the right thing to do.
“He’s a pretty laidback type so he just likes to potter away, but he’s got a pretty nice turn of foot. He was really good on the weekend.”
Gerard is now contemplating whether Mineshaft will return in a fortnight for the ITM/GIB Finals in the north, with a strong line-up likely on the better track conditions.
“We’re still tossing up but at this stage I’d say we probably will go up there, it will be interesting to see how he measures up in a good field over ground,” she said.
“He does always seem to go better on the fresh side though, so no decision has been made yet.”
Turning her focus to the Arawa Park meeting, Gerard’s contingent include Tarzana, a Tarzino half-sister to On The Rocks, her first Group One winner in 2019. The filly finished a narrow second on debut at Hawera and will be chasing her breakthrough victory.
“She was super at Hawera, we went down there trying to get an easy kill and she came up against a very nice horse,” Gerard said.
“She’s had a bit of a freshen-up and we’re very happy with her work. I don’t think she’s a true wet-tracker so we’ll keep an eye on the weather, but she’s pretty easy to ride anywhere so she should jump out of the gates and put herself there.”
Mood Painter and Juwala have made positive returns at the trials and will resume.
“I think she (Mood Painter) will be hard to beat, she’s flying in her work and went well in her trial. She’s come back mentally a lot more mature this time,” Gerard said.
“Juwala was super at the trials, he’s taken a wee while to make but I think he’s pretty much on the mark now. He’ll be another that is hard to get past as long as the track doesn’t get too wet, but if it does, we’ll be happy to wait for him.”
Complacent four-year-old Presuming will make his debut after trialling smartly in the heavy conditions at Rotorua in mid-June.
“He’s just taken a bit of time but trialled up really well and the wet track won’t worry him. 1200m is probably a bit short for what he needs, but he can go pretty hard so we’d like him to settle back and run home,” Gerard said.
With plenty of exciting young talent and returning performers, Gerard is looking forward to the coming season with the likes of Group 3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) winner Savaglee, and Harlech, who had a successful campaign in Canterbury concluding in an Easter Cup (1600m) success.
“Savaglee has grown a little bit and is a lot more even, he’s pretty much up to the mark and will trial in August before those early three-year-old races,” Gerard said.
“Harlech will return back to work and have a prep doing a few different things, then he will head back down to Christchurch for the summer.
“The business changeover starts today, but Mike is on board until the end of the season. I’ve got some big shoes to fill and it is a bit daunting, but it’s pretty exciting and fingers crossed we can get a good start to the season.
“We’ve got a lot of nice young horses, so we’ll be trying our best to keep the Ballymore name up to the mark.”
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