Landlock came desperately close to landing an upset earlier this month at Ellerslie and the talented juvenile will have another shot at Group One glory as a key player in Saturday’s Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
A gelding by Merchant Navy, Landlock was an early two-year-old winner and progressed on to place in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) before a fifth-placed effort in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). At overs in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) on Champions Day, Landlock boomed home to fall just short of the hot-favourite Return To Conquer, pushing him to a clear $5 second-elect in the Sires’ behind La Dorada ($2.40).
The Sistema effort may have caught punters by surprise, but not Cody Cole, who has been pleased with his progress in the three weeks between runs.
“It’s been business as usual since the Sistema, he’s a pretty easy horse to train,” he said. “He just eats, does his work and typically always works well.
“We haven’t done anything out of the ordinary, all through the season his runs have been spaced out and we’ve taken him away for gallops to tick him over and keep him up to the mark. But, on the three-week back-up and the way he raced at Ellerslie, I didn’t feel anything extra was necessary.”
Landlock was ridden on that occasion by the recently departed Kevin Stott, with Ryan Elliot taking the reins from the ace draw at Trentham.
“Early on he was putting himself on speed, but I think he’s just starting to figure things out and it wasn’t until we drew poorly in the Karaka Millions that we rode him more neutrally, where he showed that turn of foot,” Cole said.
“We’ve opted to ride him in that same way since then and Wellington is such a big, roomy open track that even if you get back on the rail, you often get your chance at some stage. He won’t be getting right back, he’ll just come out neutral and find his position where he’s comfortable.
“Hopefully the breaks will come when he needs them.”
Secured by Cole for just $20,000 out of Book 2 at Karaka, Landlock has already earned back more than nine times his purchase price heading into the $550,000 contest, where the juveniles will step out to 1400m for the first time.
“He looks like he’ll step up in trip and cop it well, he seems to relax quite nicely and he’s developed a nice turn of foot,” Cole said.
“He’s a wicked little horse and he didn’t have a big price tag, and probably by a pretty unfashionable sire, but he doesn’t know that.”
Based at Matamata, Cole will travel south with three other representatives, including progressive mare Rareza returning in a new campaign.
The daughter of Exosphere has had just seven starts, with two wins including her last-start effort down the Trentham chute in November before heading for a spell. She appeared for a quiet trial at Taupo earlier this month, with the Japac Homes 1200 her first-up assignment.
“She just had a bit of a splint on her leg after her last run at Wellington and we knew the track conditions were getting firmer, so she was going to need to be in the paddock rather than racing on it,” Cole said.
“That’s settled down now and she’s had one run down the chute, which was a winning one. She’s a big striding mare that really appreciates the wide open spaces, rather than around a bend.
“She had a very quiet trial there at Taupo, I didn’t realise the distance was going to be changed to 1100 from 1000 so we just sat quiet on her and that was just a fitness hit-out. She’s bounced through that well and she’s working really well.”
Bow Hill will strike a more favourable distance in the InToWin.co.nz 1600, after a creditable effort in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m) last-start at Ellerslie.
“It was a big effort from her to go from 2200 and back to 1400 with eight weeks between runs,” Cole said. “It wasn’t until the last 100m that she really warmed up and hit the line hard.
“She’s another horse that is well-suited by the big, long Trentham straight, she doesn’t possess a lot of barrier speed but she has a nice turn of foot so that’s why we’ve opted to take her down there.”
Completing the stable’s runners is Evelyn Rush, a debut winner who also returns from a break in the Herrick Perry Memorial (1400m).
“She won her first start and was possibly a bit disappointing through the rest of the prep, but she didn’t have all favours there at Wellington and didn’t really get a lot of room,” Cole said.
“We rode her back in her trials and she actually rounded it off really nicely and hit the line well. We’ve stepped her up to 1400 first-up and we’ll probably look to ride her a bit more neutral as well.”
