Ever Loyal resuming at the Karaka Million meeting

Ever Loyal winning at Te Aroha
Ever Loyal winning at Te Aroha in October 2017 (photo: Race Images)

Cambridge galloper Ever Loyal is set to make a long-awaited return to racing back at the Karaka Million racemeeting at Ellerslie on Saturday.

It was at the corresponding meeting 12 months ago that the son of Sebring last raced when finishing fifth in last year’s Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) before being sidelined with a tendon strain.

A stakes winner who was third behind Embellish in the 2017 Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, Ever Loyal reappeared with a fourth at the recent Cambridge trials and was part of trainer Tony Pike’s contingent who galloped at Ellerslie on Monday morning.

Ridden by Michael McNab, Ever Loyal worked with Pike’s Karaka Million 3YO candidate Surely Sacred and the pair recorded the quickest last 600m (34.62) of the morning.

‘’He’s been in work for a long time and we’ve gradually brought him up,’’ Pike said.

“He was high-class as a three-year-old, but struggled a bit at 1600m. He’s coming up really well and he’ll be kept at 1200m to 1400m for now.”

Ever Loyal will contest Saturday’s Group 3 Preferment@Brighthill Farm Concorde Handicap (1200m), for which stablemate Indecision will also be nominated along with the Group 2 Westbury Classic (1400m).
‘’I’ll wait and see what weight she gets in the Concorde, but she will probably be better off in the Westbury Classic,’’ Pike said.

‘’She’s a lot stronger now and finishing her races off better so should handle the 1400m.’’
Pike will also be represented by the stakeswinner Cyber Attack at Ellerslie on Saturday in the Gr.3 Mongolian Khan Trophy (1200m) and will also nominate Sacred Day for the Collinsonforex Karaka Cup (2200m).

International plans for Pitman speedsters

Riccarton trainer Michael Pitman is eyeing a start in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) with his Group One performed sprinter Sensei.

Pitman prepares the son of Dream Ahead in partnership with his son Matthew and was delighted with the entire’s effort to dead-heat for third in Saturday’s Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) behind stablemate Enzo’s Lad.

“Enzo’s Lad’s owners won’t be disappointed in me saying this, but Sensei is the better horse, he is only a four-year-old,” Michael Pitman said.

“He has started to get to where I have always rated him and everyone that has ever ridden him thinks the same.

“I thought Sensei’s run the other day was unbelievable, and the run before.”

Sensei raced wide throughout with no cover in the Telegraph after drawing barrier 17. He has won five of his 17 starts, with a further 8 placings and Pitman said Sensei was likely to head straight to the Oakleigh Plate without another run.

“He won’t have another run because we have learnt over the last six months that he is probably better off just aimed at a certain race and he doesn’t seem to pull too hard if we don’t race him as often.

“Maybe that is the reverse of what most people would think but he is still an entire and he won’t need a run because it is only five weeks away.”

Pitman is hoping to campaign his back-to-back Telegraph winner Enzo’s Lad internationally as well, and has already spoken with a representative of the Hong Kong Jockey Club regarding a start in the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on April 28.

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