Stakes assignment on the horizon for No Filter
A decisive victory at Tauranga could have promising three-year-old No Filter on a path towards a start in the Group 3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa in May.
The Richard Collett-trained son of Toronado did all that was asked of him in accounting for his age-group rivals over 1200m on Saturday with Collett pleased to get another win on the board after experiencing plenty of bad luck in his last few starts.
Settled sweetly in the trail by Collett’s son-in-law Andrew Calder, No Filter pushed through a gap one off the fence in the home straight before easing away from pacemaker Rose ‘N’ Power to win by just on a length in a sharp 1.09.25 for the 1200m journey.
“It was a good effort and he did it well at the finish,” Collett said.
“It was nice to see him get some luck with the gap in the home straight as he hasn’t had much of that lately.
“I think he could have won his last four starts as he has been held up in the straight each time and that has cost him.
“It had been four weeks since his last race and he wasn’t probably as sharp as he could have been, so all in all it was a nice run.”
Collett will resist the temptation to move No Filter up to a 1400m assignment, preferring to stick to 1200m as he plots a path towards the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes on May 1.
“We could look at taking him up to 1400m, but I’d prefer to keep him over the 1200m if we are going to go to Te Rapa,” he said.
“His breeding suggests he will get further but he can have another 1200m race between now and the Te Rapa race and then we can decide what we do with him after that.”
Collett also reported that Group 3 Anniversary Handicap (1600m) winner Super Strike was ready to resume as he heads towards a start in the Group 2 Manco Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie on April 24.
“Super Strike has had a good break since his win at Trentham and he’s ready to resume over 1400m at Te Aroha on Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes Day (April 10),” he said.
“That is two weeks before the Easter Handicap which is ideal.
“Before we go to Te Aroha, we might just give him a trip away and an exhibition gallop somewhere to bring him on some more.
“I had thought about giving him a race at Tauranga on Saturday over 1200m, but he’s just not sharp enough for that now so it would have been a waste of time.
“We haven’t thought about much after the Easter as anything in Australia will depend on the situation with the border and the travel restrictions, so we will be keeping an eye on that over the next few weeks.”