Whare Creek could add to the value of her yearling half-brother when she tackles a 1200m maiden at Gore today.
The 3yr-old Yamanin Vital filly has the advantage of the inside barrier draw for the sprint trip tomorrow, after a tough run for seventh at Gore last Saturday.
Whare Creek, the second foal out of the Lake Coniston mare Stage Flash to make the races, ran third in late September but has not been disgraced during her campaign which has been well spaced out by trainers Brian and Shane Anderton. News Flash, the older half-brother of Whare Creek, has started to click on the track. The Gallant Guru gelding won at Gore on December 23 and Waikouaiti on January 1, before handling a rise in class adequately at Gore on Saturday, running fifth.
Stage Flash was paired with the White Robe Lodge stallion Raise The Flag in 2010 and the resulting foal is part of White Robe Lodge's consignment of five yearlings to the New Zealand Bloodstock festival sale at Karaka early next month. Powder Creek is another out of the immediate family, with the Danzighill mare winning three races in her career to date and placing second at Gore on Saturday.
The O'Dazzle is a richly bred rival to Whare Creek in the 1200m maiden. The O'Reilly filly is a full-sister to The Solitaire, who lines up in the group 2 Wellington Cup on Saturday.
Ric O'Shea will be asked to lug 63.5kg around Gore tomorrow in the rating 85 1335m. The Steven Prince-trained galloper carried 54kg when he finished 10th in the Timaru Cup on December 28 in his first run since the Coupland's Mile in November. Ric O'Shea's weighty task has been made harder by the barrier draw of 12. Ric O'Shea is giving away 9.5kg to Semper Plus, a last-start winner at Ashburton on December 21 for the in-form John and Karen Parsons training team.
