Waverley trainer Bill Thurlow will continue his southern raid this weekend when Steal My Thunder is joined by reinforcements Royal Sovereigns and Field Of Gold at Wingatui’s inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day.
Steal My Thunder headed south earlier this month and was victorious in her southern debut in the ODT Southern Mile Qualifier – Summer Cup (1600m) at Ascot Park a fortnight ago.
While victorious in the race, she failed to collect enough points to make the final field for the $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m) on Saturday, but Thurlow has found her a nice consolation in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m).
“She is not going to make that (ODT) field. She was probably always never going to make it, there are a lot of qualifying races, and a lot of points accumulated early on,” Thurlow said. “It is designed for those southern horses, and I am happy with that.
“The White Robe is a very good substitute. If she can run top four I would be rapt. I am not sure she can, but she is in good form, and she apparently has done very well.”
Steal My Thunder has been staying with Gore trainer Ellis Winsloe and will be reunited with her two stablemates at Wingatui on Saturday after their long-haul trek from the north.
“Two of them (Royal Sovereigns and Field Of Gold) left home on Tuesday and they have had two nights in Christchurch before going down (on Friday),” Thurlow said. “Steal My Thunder stayed with Ellis Winsloe and she will come back from Invercargill to Wingatui for the race and then come home.”
While it is a big trip from Waverley, Thurlow expects them to handle it in their stride.
“The older horse (Field Of Gold) has been there and done that. He went down for the (New Zealand Cup) carnival when he was a three-year-old when Tony Pike trained him,” he said.
“The young horse (Royal Sovereigns), it (travel) might just tickle her up a little bit being her first time, but other than that she will be pretty right.”
Field Of Gold has seen a fair bit of the country in the last few weeks, having finished seventh in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa earlier this month before his southern journey.
“I am really happy with him,” Thurlow said. “I thought his run in the Herbie Dyke was good. He didn’t sprint home, but he just kept grinding away and he was still doing good work late. I am expecting him to run very well.”
Thurlow is also pleased with Royal Sovereigns, who was fourth in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham last month.
“I am really happy with her. She had a week off after Wellington, where she went super,” Thurlow said.
“I am hoping we have got her forward enough for the mile, I think we have, but that is my only little question mark. Having said that, with the trip away, and she is only a lightly-framed filly, I think we will be fine.
“If she runs up to how she has been racing up here, she will be right there.”
Thurlow is excited to be a part of the inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day, and said it is great for southern racing.
“It is very good prizemoney and I feel the horses we are sending down there deserve a chance at it,” he said. “It is massive, and it is great for South Island racing.”
Meanwhile, Thurlow said the $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) dream with Twisted Love is over.
The promising filly, who won on debut at Waverley last month before being sold for to Australian syndicator OTI Racing, had hit a snag in her preparation and Thurlow felt the best course of action was to give her a break before she continues her racing career in Melbourne.
“It was really unfortunate. She just got to the stage where I think she maybe wasn’t going to quite cop the rest of the campaign and she had a bit of blood elevation, and a couple of things weren’t right,” Thurlow said.
“We have decided to up stumps on this campaign, and she is flying out to Melbourne on Saturday.”
