Nearly two decades following his first success in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Andrew Scott will be hunting for his third scalp in the Group One feature.
Back in 2005, Scott was training in partnership with Michael Moroney when the pair produced one of the race’s most iconic wins with the formidable Xcellent, a memory the Matamata horseman looks back on fondly.
“It’s like anything, you don’t really appreciate it at the time as you’re so focussed and involved with the process of preparing the horse, and worried about the result,” he said.
“There was a natural sense of relief after the race, and with a lot of time to reflect on the performance of Xcellent, his effort on the day was at a very high standard. He had so much ability and the strong pace in the race allowed him to get over the top of them.
“It gives you a great appreciation for the horse, he was a yardstick in my career and gave me experience with a serious athlete who could do what a lot of normal racehorses couldn’t.
“He was called Xcellent and he just had that x-factor, he was amazing.
“Those kinds of horses, you just feel very fortunate to be a part of their story.”
17 years on, Scott was back in the winner’s circle at Hastings, but this time alongside current training partner Lance O’Sullivan with Dark Destroyer. The Wexford partnership have also collected a Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) title with Pure Champion and a Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2050m) with Willie Cazals.
“Dark Destroyer had a fantastic preparation and campaign in Brisbane, then we brought him home and he put in a wonderful performance in this race,” Scott said.
“It’s a proper challenge getting horses out of the winter in the Waikato, up to the Group One standard of fitness and performing well on the quick ground that we often get at Hastings. We do enjoy the challenge and we’ve been very fortunate to have success there over a long period of time.
“Looking back, Xcellent went on to win the Kelt (Livamol Classic) five weeks’ later, then Willie Cazals won the Kelt in 2016 for the Wexford team, which was probably one of the most satisfying wins that I’ve been involved with throughout my career.
“It was a massive team effort to get that horse, who was well-tried, reinvigorated and beat such a good field.
“In any Group One, they are the pinnacle of our racing and are the races we want to win. Any winner at that level is very special, and we’ll be looking to do it all over again on Saturday.”
Leading the Wexford trio in this year’s edition is Waitak, the spectacular winner of the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) last season, who finished fourth to race-rival Bonny Lass in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) when resuming at Te Rapa last month.
“We were very pleased with his run in the Foxbridge, he probably ran into ground that was slightly not to his liking and he didn’t have all favours in the run, but his performance was very good,” Scott said.
“He meets much quicker ground this weekend. He’s gone to drawing the outside gate to the inside, which is going to be quite an aid around Hastings, you need advantages there.
“He’s proven at Group One level and we believe he’ll be much more competitive on Saturday, we’re expecting a bold performance.”
Masa Hashizume has been engaged for the ride aboard the son of Proisir, who will be joined by his well-performed stablemates Geriatrix and Grail Seeker in the feature.
Geriatrix picked up a quartet of victories in his three-year-old term including at Benchmark 78 level in Queensland, while Grail Seeker capped off a string of black-type placings with a deserved Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) success in March.
“Geriatrix had a successful campaign in Brisbane, he’s a four-year-old stallion that is very focussed and we’ve got him very forward for this race,” Scott said.
“We brought him back to target the Tarzino, he missed a trial due to them being called off, but he’s done plenty of work at home and has trained the best of the three leading in.
“He’s going to make a strong account of himself and we believe he is up to this level on ability, it’s just whether this race may come a little bit soon for his ringcraft against proven Group One horses.
“Grail Seeker is a lovely mare and one that we think is going to get to this level, she’s certainly going to be competitive in this grade throughout the season.
“She’s struggled a little bit in training on the soft ground here at home, but at the trials, she went really well.
“She’s done a good load of work and will be forward for the weekend, she’s got a good draw which is a massive assist, and we think she will sprint very well fresh.
“Depending on performances and whether their runs warrant looking for the mile, all three could be back in three weeks’ time (for the Arrowfield).”
The Wexford contingent at Hastings is completed by Sassy Lass and Reptak, with the former aiming for a fourth win in succession when contesting the Collier’s Commercial Hawke’s Bay Premier (2000m).
“She’s absolutely airborne,” Scott said.
“She had 10 days off after her last race out at Ross and Corrine Kearney’s (owners) lovely farm and she’s come back with some nice fresh batteries.
“She meets the quick ground as many horses in this race in particular do, but on the fresh side and Warren knowing her very well, we expect something similar.”
Reptak broke through for his maiden win at Taupo after a consistent run of form, with the MAAT conditions of the NZB Ready To Run Trainers Series Premier (1200m) placing him among just four race winners in the 13-horse field.
“He enjoyed the better ground at Taupo last start and meets a similar surface this weekend, we think he’s taken good confidence from that race and he’s going very well,” Scott said.
“He’s taken a wee bit of making, but he’s really got a grasp on racing now and we expect a similar performance from him as well.”
