Stephen Marsh will have a strong contingent in the Gr.3 Mitchell Family Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) at Matamata on Saturday.
Initially set to have six runners, the Cambridge trainer will be represented by a quartet of three-year-olds.
Dubai Diva bypassed last week’s Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) with a slight foot issue but has recovered well in time for another Group Three tilt this weekend.
“She just had a little bit of a sore foot, she had some bruising in a heel. It wasn’t a major, but I just couldn’t put her on the truck,” Marsh said of the filly who has finished runner-up in her last two starts, including the Gr.3 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) behind Imperatriz at Te Rapa in October.
While confident of a bold showing, Marsh does hold concerns about the distance at this stage of her preparation.
“Back to the 1400m is my concern with her,” he said. “She was really looking for the mile, which is a shame.
“I just want to give her one more crack at a bit of black-type and then she will probably head for a week freshen-up.”
She will be joined by stablemate La Bella Beals, the winner of two of her last three starts.
The Star Turn filly finished fourth in the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1550m) at Te Aroha last weekend and Marsh was so taken by the way she came through the race that he has elected to back her up on Saturday.
“She came out onto the track on Monday morning doing cartwheels,” Marsh said.
“It was never a race I was looking at backing her up in, I was always going to give her a couple of weeks out, but she just came through it so well, I couldn’t believe it.
“She was good the other day when running fourth. I would love to see her get the thick end of some black-type, hence the reason we will give her one more.”
The stable will also be represented by Bugatti and Laneway Flirting.
“Bugatti got back and into an awkward spot, and was a bit green (last start when finishing 10th over 1200m) ,” Marsh said.
“Blinkers go on and he has drawn well in six, and has a good, strong rider on like Matt Cameron.
“He will jump and go forward. He can turn his form around, but he would have loved a shower of rain.
“Laneway Flirting’s two runs this time in have been good (win and second). 1400 is ideal for her.
“She has drawn out a bit (13), which is going to make it a bit hard. She is going well but the draw is not going to be much help for her.”
Aubree and Divine Sava were the stables two other entrants for the three-year-old feature, but Marsh has elected for other targets with the pair.
“Aubree will probably come back to 1200m and go to Te Rapa and Divine Sava will head down to the Eulogy Stakes (Gr.3, 1600m),” Marsh said.
Meanwhile, Marsh will have just the one runner at Trentham on Saturday, with Andalus making his debut in the Gr.2 Pete’s Joinery Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m).
The son of Almanzor was purchased out of Waikato Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft at Karaka earlier this year for $420,000 by Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry for client Lib Petagna.
He will carry Petagna’s apple green colours from barrier one on Saturday and Marsh is hopeful of a solid debut performance, although he believes the colt will get better with time.
“He is a lovely colt who was purchased by Bruce Perry, who paid a lot of money for him,” Marsh said.
“We thought we would have a throw at the stumps. He has drawn one and his three trials have all had merit.
“He is a really nice horse with a bright future. He is not a dead-set two-year-old type, he looks like a Manawatu Sires (Gr.1, 1400m) sort of horse.”
Andalus is part of his sire’s first southern hemisphere crop and Marsh has been impressed with what he has seen of the progeny of the Cambridge Stud stallion.
“It is hard to get hold of them, but they are nice horses,” he said.
“Early stages you would think he will certainly make the grade. There is some good talk on them as well, which is good to hear.”
