Pint-sized mare Robusto (NZ) (Zed) will carry the hopes of the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable in Tuesday’s Gr.3 Dunstan Horsefeeds Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.
The seven-year-old daughter of Zed is in her final season of racing having been served recently by Cambridge Stud sire Embellish and is looking to add a third black type victory to her career record before heading to the matron’s paddock.
Last season’s Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) winner comes into Tuesday’s weight-for-age contest with a midfield finish in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), with Baker hoping to see significant improvement from his charge.
“She is a tough mare, but she is not very big, so she isn’t as well suited at weight-for-age as she would be in a handicap event,” he said.
“In saying that, it doesn’t appear to be an overly strong line-up and with a bit of rain around she should get track conditions to suit.
“This will be her fourth run this prep, so we are expecting to see her go well as there aren’t many races left for her before she is off to stud.
“We’ve got a pretty decent record in this race over the last few years, so it would be nice to extend that a little more.”
A win by Robusto would be the third for the stable in the last six years after St Emilion was successful in 2016 and again in 2018, while Mime was the runner-up in 2017.
Baker first won the race in 1993 with high class mare Balinchy who numbered it amongst her 12 career victories, with six of those coming at stakes level.