Mare to get conditions to suit

Wet track specialist Sleeping Beauty will get conditions to suit at Pukekohe Park. Source: Trish Dunell.

Testing conditions at Pukekohe Park on Saturday shouldn’t hold any fears for Sleeping Beauty.

The Rip Van Winkle mare will strip a fitter horse for her two runs back from a break and improvement is expected from her when she runs in the Haunui Farm 1200m.

Sleeping Beauty closed out her last campaign with four consecutive victories and following a break she has finished out of the money on dead tracks at Te Aroha and Te Rapa.

“She sat on a hot speed last time and just came to the end of it, but she’s come through her runs well and we’re pleased with her condition,” said Andrew Scott, who trains the five-year-old with Lance O’Sullivan.

“She’ll be striking more suitable ground and she is proven in those conditions. Every wet track is different, but she’s fit and well and hopefully we can crack on with her now.

“Sam (Weatherley) is back on her and he knows her very well. We’re pretty hopeful of a much better performance.”

The stable will also be represented at Pukekohe Park by the promising Slow Hands in the Veterinary Associates Equine 1400m and the consistent Fortune Patch in the Martin ‘Smokey’ Morgan 1200m.

“Slow Hands has performed well every run and while he might be questionable in the ground, he does have a high level of fitness,” Scott said. “He’s improving with racing and he’s going to make a lovely four and five-year-old.”

Slow Hands was a debut winner at Matamata and has finished in the money in three subsequent outings.

“Fortune Patch is in career-best form, he just went down at his last start and the one before that and he has got through the Pukekohe ground well before,” Scott said.

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