The broodmare paddock is beckoning Xpression, but one final Group One tilt remains in the offing for the daughter of Showcasing.
Xpression was covered by Snitzel earlier this season and has returned to the barn of Hastings trainers Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen to sign-off her racing career.
The Group One performer had been campaigning in Australia under the care of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller where she recorded a Group Three placing in the Toy Show Quality (1100m).
“It’s always hard for a sprinter to go over there and perform, but her Group Three placing was a pretty good effort. I know that she wasn’t that easy over there,” Lowry said.
Lowry has fond memories of training Xpression, having recorded three wins and four placings with the mare in her seven starts for the Hawke’s Bay horseman.
Highlights included victories in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1200m) and the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m), while she was also runner-up behind Avantage in the Gr.3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and Group One placed behind Media Sensation in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
Xpression has only recently rejoined the Lowry/Cullen stable, but they are wasting no time with a raceday resumption, with the four-year-old set to line-up in the Jack Doig Loved His Racing Premier (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday.
“It’s great to have Xpression back in the stable, she arrived back on Saturday,” Lowry said.
“It is good to have her back, she is in-foal to Snitzel, so she will probably only have a couple of starts.
“I worked her along this (Wednesday) morning and I am happy with her, she seems to have settled back into the stable really well. I couldn’t be happier with her.”
Trentham will be a testing ground on Saturday for Xpression, with her performance determining if her connections press onto the Gr.1 JR & N Berkett Telegraph (1200m) at the same track next month.
“We will see how she goes on Saturday and if she performs well we will continue onto the Telegraph,” Lowry said.
“She would have to win to warrant going to the Telegraph.” – NZ Racing Desk
