Testa Rossa Sprinter Chasing History

Media Release - Monday January 13

Enzo’s Lad will attempt to become the third horse in history to win three Gr.1 Telegraph’s (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday.

Enzo's Lad - Race ImagesThe son of Testa Rossa has won the last two editions of the JR & N Berkett-sponsored race and trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman are hopeful of adding to that tally this weekend.

“It’s going to be a good field as per usual and hopefully he will be cherry ripe by Saturday,” Michael Ptiman said.

“When he won it the first year I don’t think he got the credit he deserved.

“The second time around proved that it wasn’t a fluke. If he won it three years in a row it would be a massive effort.”

Since last year’s victory, Enzo’s Lad has collected a few frequent flyer points, having campaigned in both Hong Kong and the United Kingdom at the famed Royal Ascot meeting.

Enzo’s Lad finished unplaced in all three runs and Pitman said signs of the travel are still showing on the seven-year-old.

“He’s been hanging on to a winter coat, which sounds strange given we are in the middle of summer, but when we got to England he had grown a winter coat leading into their summer, so we had to clip him.

“While he has been hanging on to his winter coat I have seen a lot of improvement in the last fortnight.”

Although Enzo’s Lad has tailed the field home in two of his three starts back in New Zealand this term, Pitman said he needs firm ground in order to produce his best effort.

Pitman has taken a different approach with Enzo’s Lad this year, electing to bring him north a week before his Wellington assignment.

“He is up here (Trentham) at the moment,” Pitman said. “We have done things a bit different because he is an older horse. I brought him up with the horses we raced on the first day just to do something different with him.

Advertisement

“We are really happy with the horse.”

The Riccarton conditioners will also contest the race with fellow sprinter Sensei who dead-heated for third in last year’s Telegraph.

“Sensei is an extremely good galloper, he’s probably the fastest horse we have had anything to do with,” Pitman said.

“Last year he drew near enough the outside barrier. His run the other day (finishing third in the Hazlett Stakes) was first-class.

“He’s a duffer on a wet track, but he managed to run third at Dunedin and went absolutely super.”

The Dream Ahead gelding will go into Saturday in good form, having won the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.3 Stewards Stakes Handicap (1200m).

“Sensei is going really well, we are really happy with him, but he will also need to have a firm track,” Pitman said.

“He is a top-class horse, but the weight-for-age probably doesn’t suit him as much as it does Enzo’s Lad.”

Sam Weatherley has been booked to ride Sensei, while Michael McNab will be reunited with Enzo’s Lad.

Sensei is currently at $10 on the TAB’s Telegraph futures market, while Enzo’s Lad is at $21 behind race favourite Avantage at $4. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
From FNQ To Sha Tin - Aussie Bred Sprinter Wins G2 Premier Bowl
Some horses arrive in Hong Kong with a very different back story - Fresh from winning the $20million The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, David Hayes was back in the winner’s list at Sha Tin on Sunday when Tomodachi Kokoroe won the Group II Premier Bowl (1200m).
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Sires With Winners - Friday October 24
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.