Autumn action heats up for OTI & connections this weekend, with five runners set to compete at stakes level in Australia & New Zealand.
Exciting stayer Mark Twain will step up to 3200m for the first time in the Group 2 Auckland Cup, a trip at which we expect him to excel. He has had a terrific preparation to date and should be ready to peak on Saturday, where he gets in with just 52kgs.
“We’re very excited to see him up over two miles in the Auckland Cup, it’s probably what he’s always wanted to do and I think with time he’s only going to get better over these sort of distances. He’s still a very young, immature stayer learning but if he gets the right breaks he’s going to make his presence felt here.” said Robert Wellwood to connections.
On Australian shores, in form mare Lady Laguna returns to Group 1 level in the 1300m Canterbury Stakes. In a small field, she is presented with an opportunity to add some Group 1 black-type to her already impressive record. A winner of over $900k this preparation, she has given her owners an incredible ride and we are very excited to see what she can do at the top level on Saturday.
Also at Randwick, Principessa will compete at stakes level for the first time in the 1600m Group 3 Aspiration Quality. She should have taken good confidence from her strong last start win and we feel she has now earned her shot at Group level. This race should set her up nicely for the G3 Epona Stakes over a more suitable 1900m, where hopefully she is afforded some give in the track.
At headquarters, Rivaport will take her place in the Group 3 1600m Matron Stakes. The return to a mile should be ideal here, and she has drawn well in barrier 4 of 11.
On Sunday, Regal Lion will look to get his preparation back on track in the Listed Canberra Cup. His performances this time in have been rather underwhelming to date, but we are hopeful of an improved performance here following a freshen up and varied training routine.
We look forward to seeing how they all fare in their respective black-type events.
