Trial winner ready for Rotorua young gun

Two-year-old Lite My Cigar who will return to action at Rotorua. Source: Trish Dunell

Lite My Cigar is in good order for his return to racing at Rotorua on Friday.

He will resume from a spell in the Motion Entertainment 2YO (1230m) with trainer Brendon Hawtin pleased by the colt’s progress.

“I’m really happy with him, he’s had a good break and he trialled up well,” he said.

A son of Darci Brahma and the Group 2 winner Smoulder, Lite My Cigar won his 800m heat at Cambridge last month following a lay-off after two unplaced runs last year.

“He didn’t have much luck in his first start at Pukekohe and then we went to Trentham, probably one of those silly things you do when you’re trying to qualify for the big race (the Karaka Million),” Hawtin said.

Lite My Cigar was out of the money in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1200m), but has come back a stronger individual this time around.

Neds bonuses

Meanwhile, Hawtin will withdraw the promising Aligns With Me from his Saturday engagement at Te Rapa due to a wide gate.

“He won’t be running and we’ll trial him next Tuesday at Te Awamutu,” he said.

Aligns With Me hasn’t raced since he was successful on debut in the spring. “He’s been a slow maturing horse and he hasn’t been easy,” Hawtin said.

“He’s been a bit headstrong, but he’s coming right and he’s got a fair bit of ability.”

While Aligns With Me won’t start in Saturday’s Sensortronic Scales 1200m, the stable has two other strong chances in Pitch And Switch and Indian Maid. The latter was a solid fourth when resuming at Te Aroha while Pitch And Switch broke her maiden at Avondale and was then runner-up off a wide run at Avondale.

“She’s got a good barrier this time and I’d like to think she can go close,” Hawtin said. “If she does enough we may look at the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes with her.”

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