Waitak Ready for Return

Media Release - Friday August 23

Wexford Stables may be without their defending champion in Saturday’s Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m), but a returning Group One winner in Waitak will be out to retain the title for Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott.

Waitak will contest the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.  Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

The Matamata operation were set to have both Waitak and stablemate Dragon Leap commencing their spring preparations in the Te Rapa feature, but the latter has been scratched, erring on the side of caution after trackwork on Thursday morning.

“We gave him a stretch of his legs yesterday (Thursday) and he’s just pulled up a bit off,” Scott said.

“Pratap, his trackwork rider, rides him every day and knows this horse very well, he just didn’t think he was quite 100 percent.

“We went over him and couldn’t find a lot wrong, and he’s trotted up all but 100 percent yesterday afternoon, but the horse certainly comes first so we just wanted to take the precautionary avenue.

“He’s been an incredibly good horse to us so we don’t want to be taking any chances.”

The eight-year-old son of Pierro has earned more than $620,000 in a career spanning 25 starts, with his victory in last year’s Foxbridge Plate his third at Group Two level.

Dragon Leap subsequently finished a narrow second to Skew Wiff in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), a race Scott indicated he may still feature in this year come the 7th of September.

“We’ll do a reset now and keep a close eye on him over the next couple of days, and all going well he can crack on into his preparation,” he said.

“He’s still in the entries for Hastings, so if there’s nothing sinister wrong he still has a spring path in front of him.”

Waitak made a name for himself in the sprinting ranks through the second half of last season, with an explosive come-from-behind victory in the Gr.1 Railway Handicap (1200m) and a creditable performance when crossing the Tasman for The Quokka (1200m).

“We couldn’t have been more pleased with how he’s come away from Perth, he had a quick break and we’ve given him two trials to have him as fit as we can going into Saturday,” Scott said.

“The Foxbridge and the Tarzino are his first two initial goals, so we’re looking to have him as ready as we can which we think we have.

“He’s had a nice amount of work and went well in his trials, his work is always at a high standard so we think we’re ready to go fresh-up.

“It’ll be Soft to Heavy ground, so you need good levels of fitness to overcome that. He has shown he can handle the softer ground, so we believe he’s got the fitness to be galloping on strongly.”

The Proisir gelding has drawn barrier 13 under Masa Hashizume, with the wide alley not seen to be an issue in Scott’s perspective.

“He’s drawn wide, but late in the day, that may not be a disadvantage,” he said.

Advertisement

“They may be looking to get out on the track anyway, but he’s a horse that even if we’d drawn a gate, he couldn’t have utilised it as he settles beyond midfield.”

On the undercard, O’Sullivan and Scott have a pair of runners contesting the Noverre Mile (1600m) and Ardrossan 1200 with Time Traveller and Lex Rex respectively.

“Time Traveller has been pretty consistent and getting closer to a win, he hit the line well at his last start and is ready to be stepping out to a mile now,” Scott said.

‘He enjoyed Te Rapa last start so back there where he’s hit out with confidence, we wouldn’t be expecting any less.

“He’s a fit gelding that can handle the soft ground, so he’ll be right in the finish.”

A son of Per Incanto, Lex Rex has been away from the races for over 12 months and is lightly tried for a six-year-old, with just eight starts under his belt.

“Dame Lowell Goddard (owner and breeder) loves her horses and is always prepared to wait for them,” Scott said.

“He had a wee setback last year and she’s given him a long break with a slow build-up to follow.

“He’s always a horse we thought was capable of getting through the grades and up to a good level, and he trialled in a manner that suggests when he goes, we expect him to run well.

“He’s sound and pretty forward, so we believe he can put in a good account of himself.”

Looking forward to the Hastings carnival, the Tarzino Trophy also beckons for smart Group Two-winning mare Grail Seeker, who was an eye-catching performer in the Fiber Fresh Group Trials at Taupo on Wednesday.

“The team was very pleased with her, seeing her trial in the manner she did,” Scott said.

“She’s just settled into her work quickly this time in and is stronger in the finish, whereas last season she just wanted to overdo it a wee bit in her races.

“She’s pulled up really well this morning, she had a trot and a canter and is coping well.

“She’ll go down to the Tarzino, we’ve aimed her for this race fresh as she seems to put in a strong performance on the fresher side. By the way she has trialled twice, she looks to be going down and being competitive.

“She’s a filly that we’ve always thought a lot of, and now we’ve got her going back over shorter trips, that may be her style this season.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Golden Rose Sires Where Are They Now?
Since the $1million Golden Rose was elevated to Group I status in 2009 it has been won in every single year bar one by a colt with the lone gelding to succeed being Manawanui in 2011 and winning this race is a passport to a commercial stud career, so we thought we’d take a look at the fortunes of the past winners who have gone to stud in Australia.
Breeding to Win - 2025 Manikato Stakes
Racing at The Valley on Grand Final Eve in Melbourne - the southern capital doing what it does best, bringing people together in celebration of sporting greatness!
Horse Trading Stock Issues to Avoid
One of the key areas in thoroughbred taxation is accounting for trading stock and ensuring the tax closing value is properly ascertained. You’d be quite surprised of the enormous difference to the tax position of any racing player where trading stock problems occur.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
Spring Juvenile Contest at Otaki on Friday
Otaki trainer Andrew Campbell is excited about the prospects of his promising juvenile Singletary, and he is looking forward to kicking off his career in the Vets On Riverbank Two-Year-Old (800m) at his home track on Friday.
Sires With Winners - Thursday September 25
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Inglis Confirm Skybird for Everest Slot
Inglis is thrilled to confirm G1 winner Skybird (Exosphere) as our representative for the running of the $20m The Everest.
Half Yours Delivers Fee Increase for St Jean
The rise of Caulfield Cup favourite Half Yours as one of the most promising young stayers in the land has put the spotlight on his sire St Jean (IRE).
Merchant Navy 3YO Ready to Strike Form
Cody Cole is keeping his options open with talented three-year-old Landlock as wet weather threatens to halt his initial plan to contest Saturday’s Gr.2 Timberspan Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Te Rapa.
Invincible Filly Snares $100,000 Inglis Bonus
The least expensive filly by champion sire I Am Invincible sold at Inglis Easter in 2024, Wear the Crown always looked to have been well bought at $260,000 by Seib/Racing / Champion Thoroughbreds and she set about repaying her purchase price at Goulburn on Thursday.