Central Districts filly Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) was all the rage ahead of January’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), but now she seems to be the forgotten horse of the juvenile ranks, set to start as an outsider in Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham.
“I think she is the forgotten horse, she has drifted from $6 to about $21, so it’s incredible really,” trainer Roydon Bergerson said. “She is the only horse in the race that has beaten La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth), and she beat her fair and square in the Eclipse (Gr.2, 1200m).”
Purchased by part-owner Chris Rutten out of Phoenix Park’s 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft for $50,000, Too Sweet began her career with a bang, winning on debut over 900m at Trentham, and doubled her win tally two races later when taking out the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.
She started a $5 third favourite for the Karaka Millions 2YO but had a luckless run from her outside barrier and finished 11th.
The taxing run told on the daughter of Satono Aladdin, who has enjoyed a freshen-up ahead of her first elite-level target this weekend.
“It is a big ask, she hasn’t raced for a couple of months,” Bergerson said.
“She had a tough run in the Karaka Millions, which wasn’t ideal. She got stuck back and stuck wide. She challenged on the turn, but she just had too much work to do.
“She was a bit tired after the race. We were going to go to the Sistema (Gr.1, 1200m) but it had just taken too much out of her and we got her home and freshened her up.
“She went out to Chris Rutten’s for a little bit of a break and then she came back, and I gave her one gallop and we took her to the Waipuk trials were she just got beaten by Peter Didham’s filly (War Princess).
“We gave her another couple of gallops and she trialled against the older horses and went super the other day at Foxton and ended up on the fence in behind the leaders, and didn’t let her head go at all. She galloped in-between races at Waverley with Bradman (NZ) (Pins) (last week) and on a Heavy track she still ran home in 47, so it was good work.
“She had her final hit-out and galloped really well on the course proper here (Awapuni) on Tuesday morning.
“We did the same programme with Wolverine and it nearly came off.”
Too Sweet has been plagued by bad draws, and this weekend is no exception, with jockey Masa Hashizume having to overcome the outside barrier in the field of 13.
“She has just been plagued by bad draws. She drew eight of eight in the Eclipse, she drew 14 of 14 in the Karaka Millions, and now she has drawn 13 of 13 in the Sires’,” Bergerson said.
“We are just going to have to come up with some plan with Masa and see how the track plays. The track might be tired on the inside so it might work to her advantage, we don’t know. We will probably know halfway through the day and where the speed is coming from.
“It is going to be a really interesting race and a tidy field, there are a lot of chances.”
Bergerson hasn’t ruled out an Australian campaign with his filly, however, he said Saturday will more than likely be her last run for the season.
“This will probably be her grand final, but you never know,” he said. “If she comes out and bolts in you would have to look at something else, whether it be Sydney or Brisbane. You just have to leave that until after the race.”
Earlier on the card, stablemate Bradman will be out to defend his crown in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m).
The seven-year-old gelding will be first-up and Bergerson is rapt with his condition.
“He is coming up really well, I couldn’t be happier with him,” he said. “He has finally matured, it has taken him seven years, but he looks like a little weapon now.
“He had a quiet trial the other day, just to get a bit more condition off him. He had an exhibition gallop as well last week at Waverley with Too Sweet just to get more fitness into his legs.”
While pleased with his charge, Bergerson said he is hoping to see a bit of moisture about ahead of the weekend.
“I was hoping for a bit of rain around for the race. I will just wait to see how firm the track comes up, if it’s too firm he probably won’t run,” he said.
“He has got a really good jockey (Ryan Elliot) and a good draw (4), and if the fire is out of the track, he will run a cheeky race.
“I think he is in for a really successful winter.”
Stablemate Town Cryer will also be shooting for stakes success in the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m
The seven-year-old daughter of Tavistock (NZ) (Tavistock) placed in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) in her last outing at Trentham in January before posting two unplaced results at Ellerslie, and Bergerson is hoping a return to Trentham will be favourable for his mare.
“I am very happy with her,” he said. “She hasn’t had much luck this season. She went very well the other day (seventh in Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1600m), she kept coming to the line. In her last two starts at Auckland have both been really strong to the line.
“We can’t wait to get her up over ground. We intended to go to the Bonecrusher (Gr.1, 2000m) but she had a foot issue, and we missed the run in the Otaki-Maori race (Gr.1, 1600m), hence why we stayed at the mile for the fillies and mares.
“I think she is a really good, genuine chance.”
Rounding out Bergerson’s Trentham representation will be Charlotte’s Way (NZ) (Pentire) in the Herrick Perry Memorial 1400.
“She is a drop back horse from 75 rating back to 65, so I thought I would give the owners a shot at $65,000, which is probably better than going around for $18,500,” Bergerson said.
“She is a quirky mare, she has probably jumped 100 pony fences this week. Her work on Tuesday morning was tip-top on the course proper.
“She has got a good jockey (Elliot) and a good draw (3), so hopefully she can put her hand up.”
