Puntura (NZ) (Vespa) will get his chance to defend his crown in Saturday’s Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham, something he wasn’t assured of just a month ago.
The son of Vespa had been out of form since his breakthrough elite-level victory last year, and retirement was looming for the seven-year-old, but he was given one last chance to prove himself in last month’s Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham, and he duly delivered.
He pleased when finished fourth in the feature mile, and he continued his form revival when he returned to the Upper Hutt venue a fortnight later to finish sixth in the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m).
“He was out of form for three or four starts, and it was good to see him back,” trainer Robbie Patterson said.
“When we went to the Mufhasa, that was nearly D-Day if he didn’t do something, and he went a blinder, so he got a reprieve.
“He is still looking for gaps in his last race. He has only got to bring that form on Saturday to be competitive.”
Puntura will be ridden by Craig Grylls, who partnered with him in last year’s running, which kicked off a memorable day for Patterson.
“It was a big thrill (to win the Thorndon Mile), and we won the Wellington Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) three-quarters of an hour later, so it was a pretty fantastic day,” he said.
Patterson is pleased with Puntura heading into the weekend, where he will be ridden cold from barrier five.
“The horse is very well, he has done well since his last run, so fingers-crossed,” he said.
“It has taken us seven years to work him out, but you have just got to ride him cold and he will be finishing it off.”
Puntura will be joined in the race by his Group One-winning stablemate One Bold Cat (NZ) (The Bold One), who will be ridden from gate three by Joe Doyle.
Victorious in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Plate (1600m) at Matamata in October, the son of The Bold One was given a freshen-up following his subpar showing in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa 10 days later and returned to finish eighth in the Mufhasa Classic last month.
Patterson said the extra travel in spring as a result of Hastings’ abandonment took its toll on the gelding, and he has finally got him back to his old self ahead of Saturday’s target.
“He won the Arrowfield and then he sort of dropped away,” Patterson said.
“He lost 10-15 kilos and could never really regain it. I think the travelling with the muck up at Hawke’s Bay just knocked him around a little bit and he jumped out of his skin that day (at Matamata) and I think it took the edge off him.
“I have freshened him up a little bit and he has put the weight back on. He would probably prefer a bit more sting out of the track than we will probably get, but he is a happy horse.”
Further Group One targets await One Bold Cat following the weekend, but plans are still up in the air for Puntura.
“The Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m) is the obvious one for One Bold Cat,” Patterson said. “Puntura, a mile is his go, so it gets a bit sticky where we go with him after that.”
Meanwhile, Patterson will also be looking for another back-to-back crown on Saturday, but this time at Kumara where Regal Dice will be seeking consecutive victories in the Vernon & Vazey 0800 Truck Parts Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m).
“She is there to defend her title,” Patterson said. “She had a blowout last Sunday. She was a tad disappointing and got ridden a tad handier than we would have liked. She is going to be ridden cold on Saturday and hopefully she can replicate her win from last year.
“It is a unique day, and that meeting should be on the bucket list for everyone. I would have loved to have made it this year, but I have got bigger targets to fry.”
