Holymanz arrives in New Zealand ahead of Aotearoa Classic
Well-performed four-year-old Holymanz has arrived at part-owner Cambridge Stud’s training facility at Karaka to continue his build-up toward a potentially lucrative hit-and-run mission.
He is raced by farm principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay with Nicolas De Chambure of Haras d’Etreham, the French base of his sire Almanzor and associate shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Holymanz sealed his trip across the Tasman for a crack at the $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 27 with a dominant last-start win in the Coastal Classic (1700m) at Geelong.
“He got here this (Thursday) morning and travelled well and he’s a pretty laid-back fellow, he’s the right horse to travel,” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said.
“The question really is whether he’s up to the very elite level that Legarto is going to bring to that race.”
The stud’s private trainer Lance Noble will put the finishing touches on Holymanz leading up to the Classic.
“He’ll race in Ciaron and David’s name because he will probably go back there as soon as he’s run and if he finishes top three, we’d probably think about the All-Star Mile (A$5,000,000, 1600m) with him,” Plumptre said.
“The most important thing with him was to get him over that fall in the Australian Guineas (Group 1, 1600m), it took him six months.
“Ironically, Legarto won the Guineas because she avoided the interference and we thought at the 300m when he was brought down that he was running into it pretty well.”
In the meantime, the farm’s focus will be on Trentham on Saturday with Habana in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m).
The son of Zoustar ran fifth after the false start in the Group 1 TAB Classic (1600m) and then triumphed in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m).
“Habana is a horse that has really grown up in the last 12 months. He was a work in progress when we bought him after he won a trial very well,” Plumptre said.
“We had stallion aspirations, but he was a very highly strung, nervous individual and couldn’t keep condition on him.
“He’s taking it all in his stride now and using his energy in his races rather than before. He’s very workmanlike and wants to win.”