A pair of promising youngsters are set to make their debut for Cambridge trainer Chad Ormsby at Avondale on Wednesday, but track conditions may scupper plans for one of them.
Two-year-old gelding State Of Valour impressed when winning his 730m trial at Te Rapa last month and is set to make his first raceday appearance in the Tulloch Café 2YO (1000m).
Ormsby has been pleased with the way the Cambridge Stud-bred and raced juvenile has progressed and he is looking forward to kicking off his career at the midweek meeting.
“He had a nice trial and he has trained on well,” Ormsby said. “He really loves his work, so that helps with these young two-year-olds.
“It’s not ideal conditions but we will probably get the ball rolling regardless tomorrow.”
The Auckland track was rated a Heavy10 on Tuesday morning, and while the wet track won’t halt State Of Valour’s plans, they may do for stablemate Merini.
The three-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon won her 1100m trial at Avondale last month on the same footing, but Ormsby is loath to give the JML Bloodstock-raced filly a gut buster first-up.
“She is a slow-maturing filly and showed us in her last trial what we have been waiting for,” he said.
“I am not certain of running her tomorrow. We have been waiting for her for a little while, so we can wait a little bit longer if we need to. She didn’t mind the wet going in her last trial, but we are hopefully going to have a nice, long season ahead for her so we will just weigh up our options tomorrow morning.”
The stable will also be represented in the race by Kygo Star, who finished runner-up on debut over 1300m at Taupo last month.
“He has trained on well since his first-up run and he should cop the weather a little bit,” Ormsby said. “It’s (track conditions) probably not ideal, but he is a horse that has trained on soft ground and trained well. I am expecting him to run well.”
Looking ahead to Friday, Ormsby will take three runners to Taupo, including Outovstock, who will contest the Placemakers Taupo (1300m).
The Group Three winner won his trial over 1100m at Ellerslie last month before finishing runner-up in his trial over the same distance at Te Rapa, and Ormsby is looking for a solid hit-out first-up as he sets his sights on cups targets in the coming months with the five-year-old.
“He has had a couple of trials under his belt to get him ready and he always puts in a good run,” Ormsby said. “It is well short of his best, but we expect him to do something in a race like this down in the weights a little bit.
“He has got Cups targets later in the year, but we have got to get the ball rolling, and he will probably go around regardless of the track.”
The stable will also be represented by Pieces of Eight in the Chris Jolly Outdoors (1000m), while track conditions will dictate whether O’Sweet Darling makes her debut in The Belle Family (1100m).
“O’Sweet Darling has been ready to go and missed out a couple of times now. She may miss out again as she has drawn the outside,” Ormsby said.
“Track conditions will be a big part down at Taupo, but we will have to sit on the fence and see what happens there.
“Pieces Of Eight has come on well from her first-up run where she ran well but just lacked a little bit of race craft and fitness, but she is better for it and is going into Taupo with a bit of confidence.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
