Saturday’s Taranaki meeting was the final step towards Mustang Valley’s second Group One title last season, and the mare will return on an identical path.
A powerful wet-track galloper, Mustang Valley skipped through the heavy conditions to take both this race and the Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) 12 months ago. Her rating of 107, with a mare’s allowance, places her at 62.5kg, and she will carry the topweight despite apprentice jockey Ngakau Hailey’s three-kilogram claim.
Andrew Forsman, who prepares the daughter of Vanbrugh out of Cambridge, was pleased with her fifth-placed effort in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) to commence a new preparation but is not underestimating the competition she faces on Saturday.
“She’s had a very similar preparation to last year and seems to be going every bit as well,” he said.
“I just hope to see her run well, I think there is a fair bit more depth in this race and it looks a bit more competitive than last year, so I’m certainly not expecting her to go down there and just win it, knowing that she’s giving some nice winter gallopers a fair bit of weight.
“As long as she gets her chance, runs well and hits the line strongly, we’ll be happy.”
Joining Mustang Valley at New Plymouth will be resuming four-year-olds City Girl and Lady Pappygate.
“We would’ve liked to have given City Girl a trial but she does prefer a grass surface and there wasn’t the option, hence the 990m appealed,” Forsman said.
“She’s drawn well so hopefully she can use that, that will be the key. She’ll certainly take good improvement for it, but as long as she can get out of the gates and be on speed, she’ll be a chance.
“Lady Pappygate is coming along nicely, the only query for her is the track just being a bit too heavy. We turned her out to get away from the deeper tracks, but she’s ready to run and she may just need one if it’s too testing.”
Forsman’s attention will also be on the Saturday meeting at Flemington, where his talented staying mare Positivity will take her place in the Ronald McDonald House Charities Trophy (1700m).
The Almanzor four-year-old flourished in the latter part of her three-year-old season, winning the Group 3 Sunline Vase (2100m) and finishing second in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) before a classy performance to take out the Group 3 SA Fillies Classic (2500m) at Morphettville.
She commenced her new campaign with a bang, finishing second to Kiwi-bred Rise At Dawn in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m), and Forsman has an eye on another stakes target beyond her next assignment.
“I thought she was going really well, but it (Heatherlie Stakes) looked a tricky race and there wasn’t a lot of speed in the sprint home, so I thought all that considered, she stuck to her guns really well,” he said.
“There were probably a few that had a better turn of foot, but being fresh obviously helped her and it was a great return.
“This is just another run for her really, obviously we want to be competitive, but second-up over 1700m is a bit awkward and we are wanting to have her ready for the Bart Cummings (Group 3, 2500m) if she goes well enough.”
Forsman will also be represented in the Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) by Good Oil, who placed in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) in the autumn.
“He’s been a bit frustrating since he’s been in Melbourne, he just hasn’t had anything to suit,” Forsman said.
“We feel like he’s going really well, and this was the best option to give him his chance and get favours in the run. He likes to jump and run and be on pace, so from a good draw in a small field, he should get that chance to prove whether he’s up to it or not.”
Back home on Sunday, Sporting Chance will be Forsman’s sole representative at Te Rapa, coming off a strong fresh-up success to contest the Waitoa Free Range Chicken Mile (1600m).
“I was very happy with him, and it should be similar track conditions, maybe a touch better depending on the weather leading into Sunday,” Forsman said.
“He’s pretty adaptable and he doesn’t need a wet track but given that he’s had that run and meeting a few that are resuming, that may be to his advantage.”
The son of Dundeel holds an early nomination for the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) in November, which will depend on his performances as the distances rise.
“It’s just an option really, once he’s had a run or two obviously a mile is going to be the shortest he’d want, and naturally he’ll get up over further,” Forsman said.
“It would be nice if he could be a Cup contender, but he’s got to prove that yet.”
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