Sharrock laying the gauntlet down to Art Deco
Allan Sharrock will follow a rare path by his standards with his outstanding winter prospect Art Deco.
The New Plymouth trainer produced the mare for a resounding first-up open handicap victory on her home track at the weekend with more serious challenges in store.
“It looks like she will run in the North Island Challenge Stakes at Trentham on Saturday week,” Sharrock said.
“I don’t normally back them up so quickly, but she’d had four jump-outs and a trial and she only really had a canter around here last Saturday.”
Safely through her Wellington assignment, Art Deco will head north.
“She’ll probably run in the fillies and mares’ weight-for-age race at Tauranga,” said Sharrock, referring to the Listed Woburn Farm Classic (1400m) on June 23.
“It’s all about black type, I thought she would have flown through last winter but she just tapered off a bit. She’s pretty potent in the winter and she’s a lot stronger now.” Meanwhile, stablemates London Express and Tutta La Classe, who quinellaed the juvenile event last Saturday, will square off against each other again next time out. “They will both go to the Castletown Stakes, that’s in three weeks so the spacing is right for them,” Sharrock said. “London Express will go out after that and the other filly might keep ticking over. We’ll see how she’s going, she could go to the Ryder Stakes.” Both Art Deco and London Express were ridden by apprentice Wiremu Pinn, who celebrated a dream double to kick off his riding career. “He’s a good kid and he’s pretty talented,” Sharrock said. “I just have to keep his feet on the ground.”