Southern mare in mix for Tarzino star

A Group One northern target beckons the in-form Fairlight. Source: Race Images.

Further success this month may send Fairlight on a Group 1 path to Hawke’s Bay.

A northern trip is very much on the cards for the daughter of Rip Van Winkle, who will attempt to complete a hat-trick of wins at Ashburton on Wednesday.

“We’ll be nominating her for the Tarzino Trophy, she would need to win one of her next two starts whether that be tomorrow or an open 1200m at Oamaru on July 22,” said Richard Didham, who trains the mare with his father Les.

“If she went she would be at the top of her campaign, rather than starting out, and she’d spell after that.”
Fairlight has won her last two starts at Timaru and at Waimate in convincing fashion, although she has since suffered a minor set-back.

“The form around her is strong enough and the way she won the other day you’d think she would be hard to beat,” Didham said.

“She’s had a stone bruise and missed a little bit of work and, if she hadn’t had that, we’d say she would definitely run in the top three. She should still go well.”

Jason Laking will take the mount aboard Fairlight in the RD Petroleum Ashburton Winter Cup Trial (1400m) after Chris Johnson guided her to a last-start victory.

“Fascinate is a good one and Chris is sticking with her, but Jason has won on our mare before,” Didham said.

While the winner of Wednesday’s event will be exempt from the ballot for next month’s Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m), the feature mile at Riccarton has never been on Fairlight’s radar.

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