Raziah and connections post race
- A good sized and busy crowd watched the 2nd day of the spring racing season in cold conditions.
- The day featured the New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes for the three-year-old fillies. Thirteen fillies faced the starter with local hopes primarily on DIABLO BLANCO. The Richard Didham trained grey was disappointing behind the Cambridge filly RAZIAH. She races in the white and blue colours of The Oaks Stud who has had great success at Riccarton Park in the past. New Zealand based Australian rider Matt Cartwright made his first visit to Riccarton Park memorable partnering the Tony Pike trained filly. Te Akau’s DREAM OF THE MOON was a strong second with Terri Rae’s LAVENDER HAZE third after looking the winner part way down the straight.
- The Martin Collins New Zealand Cup Trial did go the way of a local stable. Andrew Carston’s good galloper JON OL ROCCO improved on his first up sixth two weeks earlier to beat FELLINI and CORK over the 1800 metres.
- Class prevailed in The Pryde’s Easifeed Open Sprint. Dual Group 3 winner PERFECT SCENARIO was capably ridden by apprentice Amber Riddell to defeat ADANNYA and MATSCOT. The latter ran a great race first up in preparation for a Group 1 assignment at Hastings in two weeks. The big bay gelding had been named South Island Horse of the Year the night before. Riddell who had ridden a winner at Riccarton as an Amateur is the daughter of Trina Marshall who had herself been apprenticed at Riccarton to Ned Thistoll.
- Crack rider Opie Bosson travelled south to partner AGE OF DISCOVERY in his first start over the 1200 metres in the day’s opener the Watchtrackside.co.nz Maiden. Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have the Al Basti Equiworld NZ 2000 Guineas on the programme for the $625,000 yearling purchase.
- Promising apprentice Donovan Cooper was the only rider to win two races on the programme. Fellow apprentices Yogesh Atchamah, top apprentice at the South Island Awards and Ruvanesh Muniandy the Ashlee Mundy Memorial award winner both celebrated their achievements with winners on the day.