Well-related colt Tardelli will make a return trip to Wellington in his bid to add a black-type victory to his burgeoning record.
The Stephen Marsh-trained son of I Am Invincible continued his impressive progression on Champions’ Day at Ellerslie where he came from last to claim the Windsor Park Stud Trophy (1500m).
He will make his next appearance in Saturday week’s Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) with his performance at Trentham to decide if he travels further afield.
Tardelli was a A$360,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale buy with bloodstock agent Bruce Perry signing the ticket on behalf of majority owner Lib Petagna, who races the three-year-old with Jamieson Park, Little Avondale Stud and Greg Clarke’s Hawridge Developments.
He began his two-year-old career in Sydney with John O’Shea and Tom Charlton before relocating to New Zealand.
“He went for a nice break after he came over and had a couple of niggling things which we had to get right right and he’s doing really well now,” said Perry, who has enjoyed a long and successful association with Elsdon Park owner Petagna.
“He’ll got to the Wellington Guineas and then we’ll reassess things, there’s a small chance he could go to Brisbane if he went particularly well at Trentham.
“A race like the Fred Best Classic (Group 3, 1400m) could suit him, otherwise there are plenty of nice 1400m or mile races here and then possibly Australia later on.”
Tardelli is out of the unraced Pierro mare Pierro Moss, who is a daughter of the stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Upon This Rock.
“We bought him as a potential stallion prospect, but unfortunately nothing quite went right when he was in Australia,” Perry said.
Tardelli is making up for lost time and has won two of his five New Zealand starts and has placed in both the Group 2 Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham behind leading three-year-old Savaglee and the Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m).
“He is a very good-looking horse and Stephen (Marsh) and Michael McNab were adamant after he ran third in the Levin Classic that he is a Group One horse and they’re still of that opinion,” Perry said.
“Because things didn’t go quite right early, we missed a few of those opportunities.
“The plan is to get a foundation stallion at some point for Elsdon and it would be wonderful it was one we’ve been involved with from day one.”
Tardelli’s stablemate and Group 3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) winner Ardalio, who also races in Petagna’s colours, is enjoying a freshen-up after her luckless seventh from a wide barrier in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).
“We rode her for a bit of luck and tried to get her in and did, but then another horse came out off the rail and bumped her out again,” Perry said.
“She ended up facing the breeze, three wide the trip and I thought she was huge and one of the runs of the race.
“She was entitled to give it away at the 300, but she still looked like she was going to be right in the finish with 100m to go.
“She’s having a wee break and will probably go to the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Group 3, 1200m) in late April.”
Meanwhile, another talented Petagna-raced filly in the Marsh team will resume at Tauranga on Saturday.
“Love Poem will be stepping out and, all going well, will then head to Australia. There are Group options at the autumn carnival for her,” Perry said.
The Snitzel filly is a multiple black-type placegetter, including a runner-up finish in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and hasn’t raced since she ran fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
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