Satellite stable plans for Pike still up in the air
Despite constant speculation over the past few months, Cambridge trainer Tony Pike is adamant he is no closer to confirming whether he will establish a satellite stable in Australia next season or not.
Pike admits the buzz around the venture has ramped up in recent weeks but while he is considering his options, nothing has been put in place as yet. “I’ve been questioned about the situation a fair bit in the last three months but at this stage there is nothing to report,” Pike said. “It is an option we have been thinking about for a wee while but, to be honest, I haven’t even looked at any potential properties yet. “To make the move you need the right set-up and until we find a property that is suitable it is all just wishful thinking. “I guess if we were going to go anywhere it would ideally be in New South Wales somewhere but Queensland could also be a possibility. “At this stage I’m just concentrating on getting our spring team ready for the new season.”
Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) placegetter, Endless Drama will spearhead Pike’s team for the Hawke’s Bay Spring carnival, with the rising eight-year-old entire holding nominations for both the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Group 1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m). “He (Endless Drama) has come back from his Queensland campaign in great order and looks ideally suited to those races at Hastings,” Pike said. “He had a week in the paddock in Queensland after the Stradbroke and then another week off when we got him back home. “He’s a big gross horse who we couldn’t afford to give too much of a break and he has been working along slowly since he has been back in the stable. “He will kick-off in the Foxbridge Plate (Group 2 1200m) at Te Rapa and then go to the Tarzino from there.”
While Pike’s dual Group 1 winning sprinter The Bostonian will miss the Hastings carnival in favour of either a Melbourne or Sydney spring campaign, he is looking forward to the prospects of two of his talented rising three-year-old fillies in Loire and Kali as they prepare for a tilt at some of the early spring classics. “Bostonian won’t be going to Hastings as we favour taking him to Australia instead,” he said. “We are just working on whether he will go to either Melbourne or Sydney at the moment.
“We have some lovely young horses coming through including both Loire and Kali who impressed towards the end of the season. “They will both trial at Te Teko on August 6 and then we will assess where they are at from there. “The 1000 Guineas (Group 1 1600m) at Riccarton is the main aim for both of them and they will take a similar path to get there. “There are some nice races at Hastings during the spring carnival for them including the Gold Trail Stakes (Group 3 1200m) so that will be the initial focus.”