Autridge hunting Riccarton gold
The gold colours of Kevin Hickman will once again be prominent at Riccarton on Saturday. The Valachi Downs principal has four horses entered with private trainer Stephen Autridge, with two firm chances in feature races.
Showcasing filly Laced With Gold will line-up in the Listed Barneswood Farm Welcome Stakes (1000m) after finishing second and fourth in her two previous starts over 800m at Riccarton last month. “She has continued to please us, but her barrier draw doesn’t,” he said. “She is well and we have put blinkers on just to smarten her up that little bit. “She is working well and is a lovely filly. We are just doing our best to get some black-type for her, which we think we can.”
Laced With Gold has been fancied by the TAB, with the Petone bookmakers installing her as a $3.70 favourite for the race over last start winner La Romanee at $3.90. Autridge said the juvenile filly would head for a spell after Saturday and will likely be set towards more black-type targets next year. “She will come back to Matamata and go out to Valachi for a spell. If she does well she could head towards the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Group 2, 1200m).”
Autridge is also looking forward to contesting Group 1 spoils on Saturday with Karalino in the gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). The three-year-old daughter of Zacinto is in good form, winning over 1400m two starts back before finishing runner-up behind Kali in the Group 3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton last start. “It was a good run last start, we were taking ground off her quite quickly,” Autridge said. “We just got held up for a few strides coming around the corner, so if we had got a better run we might have finished a bit closer.”
Autridge has taken a lot of confidence from the run and believes she will be right in the finish on Saturday. “I am very happy with her,” he said. “She has drawn quite nicely (barrier six) and the distance will be no problem. “We think that she is a really promising filly. She has done nothing but improve, so we believe we will be right in it. We are looking forward to it.”
Autridge will also have two runners in the Avon City Ford Premier (1200m), but said last Saturday winner Woodcote Lass is unlikely to start. “It was a very good win by Woodcote Lass last Saturday, but she is very doubtful to run on Saturday, I have chucked her in just in case. We will make up our mind Friday morning. “She has had a few runs down there. It was a very good win, they ran a track record, so you don’t just bounce out of them 100 percent. We thought she had come through it good enough to put her in and have a look.”
Autridge will also have Red Chois in the race after she missed out on a start in the Group 3 Valachi Downs Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m). “She didn’t make the Valachi Stakes field on Wednesday, she missed out by one,” Autridge said. “She has been going well. It is the first run at 1400m that I would have given her. She raced over that distance when she was in Europe. She has been placed several times, but she was a non-winner there. So I am looking forward to it.”