About Time Chasing G3 Avondale Cup - Half-Brother for Inglis Easter

Media Release - Friday February 21

The Lance Noble-trained About Time will be rewarded for her consistent run of form with a tilt at stakes level for the first time in more than a year when she heads to Ellerslie on Saturday.

Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay, About Time was victorious in last year’s Gr.2 Sir Patick Hogan Stakes (2050m) at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day before finishing unplaced in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa a month later.

About Time will take her place in Saturday’s Gr.3 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie.  Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Noble has resisted the temptation to test her at stakes level this term and has been rewarded with three consecutive victories, including the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

With an eye towards the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day in a fortnight, Noble felt Saturday’s Gr.3 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m) was the perfect lead-in and is looking forward to seeing what his mare can do under 53kg.

“She has obviously won her last three, she likes Ellerslie, and I am looking forward to it,” he said.

“She had a bit of a break between the Dunstan Stayers’ Final and her last run, which has brought her on even more. She is looking well.

“She comes in well with her form being strong and dropping weight (to 53kg). It is a good recipe when they have carried weight and dropped it into the next one, although it is a class rise.

“All going well she will head to the Auckland Cup. At this time of year most of the horses have been in work for a long time and it has been a long, hot, dry summer. If you can keep them in good order, hopefully she has got a couple of good runs left in her.”

About Time is dominating the Avondale Cup market, currently sitting as a $3.30 favourite with TAB bookmakers, with Son of Sun the only other runner in single figures at $8. She also heads the Auckland Cup futures market, alongside Tajanis, at $4.50.

Cambridge Stud will offer the half-brother by Almanzor (Fr) to About Time at Inglis Easter as Lot 127.

Meanwhile, stablemate Jaarffi will tackle a quality line-up in the Gr.1 Sport Nation Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) on Saturday, and Noble is hoping she gets more luck at Ellerslie than she has in her last two starts at the Auckland track when runner-up in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) on New Year’s Day and fifth in the Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) three weeks later.

Advertisement

“She hasn’t had much luck in her last couple of starts,” Noble said. “She was three wide without cover in the Rich Hill Mile and worked and got to the front a little bit soon and got run down. I thought that was a great run.

“In her next start she drew wide and didn’t have a lot of luck in running in the Westbury and got shunted wider on the corner and still ran fifth.

“It is a step-up at weight-for-age against some pretty in form horses, but at her best, and if we can get the right run, I think she can be in the mix.”

A return to Ellerslie for a Group One assignment awaits Jaarffi if she performs well this weekend.

“If she runs up to expectations there is the possibility of the Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) on Champions Day,” Noble said.

Rounding out Noble’s team on Saturday will be Dazzled in the Horizon By SkyCity 1200.

“She had a little freshen-up after what looked on paper to be a bit of an average run for her when she ran sixth in the Royal Descent Stakes (at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day),” he said.

“There’s a lot of form that has come out of that race, so it might have been a better run than it looked.

“We did give her 10 days off and freshened her up and she has been working well. It is not a big field, she has got a great finish, so if she can produce that hopefully we will be in it.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Almanzor Stayer wins G3 Tattersalls Cup
It's been a long time since the  2022 Victoria Derby and some may have wondered whether the winner Manzoice was ever going to win again!
Another Aussie SW Sourced from Aga Khan Studs
When Australian investors buy tried horses out of Europe from Aga Khan Studs they know they are getting quality, but the good ones don’t come cheap with Elamaz (IRE) sourced from their draft at the Arqana Arc Sale last year for €480,000.
Aussie 2YO SW for Tivaci
New Zealand-bred colt Matahga stamped himself as an exciting spring three-year-old prospect with a hard-fought victory in the A$120,000 Listed David Peacock Oaklands Plate (1400m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Miss Joelene Achieves Millionaire Status
This time last year, Miss Joelene was highlighting herself as one to watch for the future, having placed in the Group 2 The Roses and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, and after a few runs behind the outstanding Antino (Redwood) this time in, a class drop on Saturday saw her record victory in the $200,000 Listed BRC Tattersall’s Gold Crown (2100m) at Eagle Farm.
Sires With Winners - Saturday June 28
Here is the full list of 109 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Private Eye’s Half-Brother King’s Secret Wins Again
Although he may never reach the heights of his older half-brother Private Eye, a Group 1 winner and earner of more than $12m to date, connections of King’s Secret (Shalaa) are sure to have plenty of their own fun with the 3yo gelding winning at Rosehill on Saturday.
Wootton Bassett Winning Whirl
It was a red letter day for Wootton Bassett (GB) at The Curragh overnight with a treble of winners highlighted by top class filly Whirl, who captured the Group I Pretty Polly Stakes (1m2f), a race won by the mighty Via Sistina in 2023.
Better Than Ready’s Metalart Wins Group 3 W J Healy Stakes
Improving off a third in the Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm recently, 4yo Better Than Ready gelding Metalart stepped up to 1200m to record his first black type success, winning the Group 3 W J Healy Stakes.
Tattersall’s Mile For The Inflictor - Under The Louvre’s Second SW
Third at Listed level before winning at Doomben, the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) then tackled the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, and while not in the same league as winner War Wachine (Harry Angel), the 4yo gelding showed his class on Saturday to win the Listed BRC Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
$1.2million for Mare in Foal to Frankel
There are four mares to be offered at Magic Millions National in foal to Juddmonte Farm’s champion sire Frankel and the first of them Grande Dame (GB) sold for $1.2million to James Bester Bloodstock/Morning Rise Stud.