Sprint racing likely for Heroic Valour
GROUP one sprints will be the focus of Heroic Valour’s summer programme.
The son of Fastnet Rock has already tasted success at the top level after the horse claimed the Sistema Stakes during an unbeaten juvenile campaign and performed admirably throughout its three-year-old season.
The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained Heroic Valour won the Listed Breeders’ Stakes, ran third in the Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas and was fourth against the older horses in the Group One NRM Sprint.
The horse then crossed the Tasman and finished runner-up in the Group Three Gold Coast Guineas before it was spelled after an unplaced effort in the Listed Daybreak Lover Stakes.
Autridge said the horse will resume in just under a month’s time.
“He’s coming up very well and he’s had a gallop at Taupo,” the co-trainer said.
“At this stage, he’ll kick off in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint at Te Rapa on November 11 and then we’ll be looking at the Railway and the Telegraph.”
Whether Heroic Valour, who is likely to trial at Te Aroha on Thursday, is joined in the major short course events by its stablemate Splurge has yet to be determined.
“We’ll be finding out whether he’s a miler or just a sprinter,” Richards said.
Splurge has so far been most effective at 1200m with five of his seven wins at that distance, including the Group Three Darley Plate.
“He’s going along well and he also had a gallop at Taupo and he’ll probably run in the weight-for-age 1200m at Rotorua (the Group Three Jakkalberry Classic) on Saturday,” Richards said.
Splurge hasn’t raced since an unsuccessful two-start campaign at the Queensland winter carnival.