Riverton galloper Lightning Jack will aim for back-to-back victories on his adopted home track of Otaki on Thursday when contesting the Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m).
With few options for the highly-rated son of Per Incanto closer to home, trainer Kelvin Tyler opted to send Lightning Jack for a northern campaign that kicked off in winning fashion at the Central Districts course on April 13.
“All reports have been that he’s gone forward in leaps and bounds,” Tyler said.
“A nice, loose track helped him last time and he went really well. I don’t think we’ll get that sort of track on Thursday and there’s a few nice horses in there, but he’s a class horse who has won a lot of races.”
A Group One performer over a mile, Lightning Jack will aim for a seventh win at the distance, but will be among the top-weights at handicap conditions on Thursday.
“He gets to run on his home track again, he’ll have to lug a bit of weight, but I can’t fault him otherwise,” Tyler said.
The talented seven-year-old may be joined by younger stablemate Prince Alby in the midweek feature, who would be stepping back in distance from an unfavourable run in heavy conditions in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m).
“He was clearly topweight that day, and you can’t be three lengths off the second-last horse at the 600m off a slow tempo and think you’ll run past them, and his jockey admitted she’d made that mistake,” Tyler said.
“He’s come through that really well though and I’ve kept him fresh stepping back to the mile, but I’m undecided whether I’ll run him in this race or over 2040m at Wanganui on Saturday.
“He’d be down the bottom of the weights at Otaki, they might be a bit sharp for him at the mile but as long as he’s running on well in the top three or four I’d be happy.
“I’ll nominate for the other race, and just assess the fields before deciding where we will go.”
The Sacred Falls gelding finished second to Canheroc in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m) during a prior North Island mission, and Tyler may look to add to his black-type record in the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) on May 11.
“Alby may go to the Rotorua Cup all going well in a couple of weeks’ time, and there’s the Rangitikei Gold Cup at Trentham (Listed, 1600m) which is a good option for Lightning Jack,” he said.
Closer to home, Tyler has earmarked six of his team for the Wingatui meeting on Sunday, including the in-form Go Lotte and another last-start winner in Albatross.
“Go Lotte has come right at the right time, a bit of give in the track has helped her so she’d be a reasonable chance,” he said.
“Albatross is another horse that has gotten rid of her niggles I believe, so she’d be another nice chance.”
