Wingatui galloper Satin Guru gets a perfect opportunity to kick-start his season in tomorrow’s Tapanui Cup.
The Brian and Shane Anderton-trained 7yr-old will not know himself when he steps out on to the Gore racecourse with the lowest weight he has ever carried in a race.
Rider Corey Campbell’s 3kg claim brings the horse’s weight down from 56kg to 53kg.
It also brings Satin Guru right into winning contention.
The horse opened his season’s account with a bold fourth placing behind his stablemate Londonderry Air at Wingatui earlier this month.
As he so often can do, Satin Guru got well back in the field before hitting the line strongly to finish just behind the placegetters.
With only nine days between that run and tomorrow’s event, Satin Guru’s chances will depend on how he handles the quick turnaround, Shane Anderton said. He had not done a lot of serious work this week but went into what was a suitable race for him in good order, he said. Satin Guru’s main rival looks to be He Ain’t Heavy, from the in-form Stephen Blair-Edie stable.
The trainer and rider, Lee Callaway, will seek consecutive Southern feature races after winning the Southland Crystals with Come Fly With Me at Ascot Park last weekend.
He Ain’t Heavy is also in hot form, having won his third consecutive race on the same track, in late November. Local horseman Ellis Winsloe looks a trainer to follow in the cup day undercard.
Winsloe lines up eight horses on his home track, including last season’s smart 2yr-old Irish Express, who will look to regain winning form as a 3yr-old in race 1.
Winsloe bagged four winners on last year’s Tapanui Cup day.
The meeting was later called off after jockey Rebecca Black was killed after falling from her mount, Point Proven.
Black will be remembered at this year’s meeting with the inaugural running of the Rebecca Black Memorial, race 8, tomorrow.
• Carrying 60kg was not enough to stop the Terri Rae-trained Riding Shotgun from taking out yesterday’s open handicap event at Ashburton.
The 6yr-old and rider Alysha Collett nosed out The Real Deal and BB Hong in a tight finish.
The runner-up carried only 50kg with his rider’s 4kg claim.
Terri Rae and Alysha Collett also combined to win a maiden event with Shangold yesterday.
