Wolfgang, who races as Mister Wolfgang in Australia, will get his first opportunity to earn a golden ticket into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when he heads to Flemington on Saturday.
The Peter and Shaun McKay-trained gelding will contest the Gr.3 The Bart Cummings (2500m), with the winner earning an automatic spot in the A$10 million two-mile feature.
The seven-year-old son of Puccini finished last first-up over 1700m at Flemington earlier this month before backing up seven days later at Caulfield where he finished 12th in the Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m).
“His second run was good,” Peter McKay said. “Even though he only beat four or five horses home, from where he was in the race, there wasn’t a lot of changing going on. Where they were turning the corner is where they finished. His sectionals were quite good from the half-mile home, so we were rapt with that.”
McKay has received positive reports from Shaun, who is with the horse in Melbourne, and they are hoping for a bold showing from the gelding this weekend.
“We are pretty happy with the way he is going into it,” McKay said. “Daniel Stackhouse is going to ride him again, so at least he knows him, and we are hoping he can run in the first half dozen on Saturday.
“There are still a couple of races after that to find out if we can get into the Melbourne Cup, and if not, there is some good money on offer over there.”
Back home in New Zealand, the stable is coming off a pleasing day at Te Rapa on Saturday where they recorded a couple of placings, including Faultless running third in the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (1400m).
“We were hoping that he could run in the first three or four and he has done that, it was a good run,” McKay said.
Withdrawn from November’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Faultless will now be set for a couple of feature targets closer to home in a bid to qualify for next year’s $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m).
“He will probably go to the Sarten (Gr.2, 1400m), but that is a month away,” McKay said. “Depending on how the weather is, he may go to Otaki for a $65,000 three-year-old race over 1400m.
“Hopefully once he has got a bit more ringcraft about him, we can try and have a crack at the Karaka Millions after Christmas.”
Stablemate Subiaco also featured at Te Rapa when running third in the Simply Fire Mile (1600m).
“That was a good run,” McKay said. “Craig (Grylls, jockey) said he stepped the gates slightly slow and he didn’t want to dig him up just in case her over-raced, which he would have. He then had to ride his race from the back and he finished off his race really well.
“He is probably better suited on top of the ground, he is such a big, long-striding horse. Hopefully there is something instore for him.”
McKay is hoping to continue the stable’s solid run of form at Tauranga on Wednesday where they will be represented by a quartet of runners, including Rocky Marciano in the Gartshore Construction Maiden (1600m), Meatlug in the Tauranga Crossing Fashions In The Field November 1st (1400m), La Plancha in the Ultimate Ford Maiden 1400, and Just Call Me Jonny in the Bayleys Altogether Better 1400. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
