Tasman trip beckons for Love Affair
Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman are likely to be looking at suitable offshore targets for the quality mare Love Affair.
The Cambridge trainers produced the Garry Chittick-bred and owned four-year-old for an impressive first-up victory at the expense of the Queensland-bound Volpe Veloce in Saturday’s Aon Insurance Brokers Premier (1200m) at Te Rapa.
“I’ll have to speak to Garry, he might be looking at Brisbane,” Baker said. “If not Brisbane, then she’ll be a good mare for Melbourne in the spring.”
Runner-up in the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) before a spell, the daughter of Savabeel has now won five times from eight appearances. “She’s a classy sort of mare and she trialled up well,” Baker said. “We didn’t really know how she would go today over 1200m, but she was nice and fresh.”
Love Affair settled one off the fence near the pace and when rider Matthew Cameron asked her to sprint 300m from home she quickly cut loose to put the issue beyond doubt.
“She’s not a natural 1200m horse, but she jumped and got into a good position and kicked really well,” he said.
Volpe Veloce turned in a solid effort to open her campaign with the Graham Richardson and Gavin Parker-trained Group 1 winner booked to head to the Queensland winter carnival on May 4.
She will be based at the family property at Ipswich of her regular rider Jake Bayliss, who is shortly to head to Brisbane after a successful New Zealand stint.
“I came here a battler and I’m leaving a multiple Group-winning jockey,” he said. “It’s been really rewarding.”