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Counties Cup Day has become a very familiar fixture for Sacred Satono, who will make his fourth appearance at the meeting when he defends his title in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday.
The son of Satono Aladdin made his Counties Cup Day debut back in 2021, when the meeting was held at Te Rapa. He contested the Listed 2YO Stakes (1100m) and finished second behind Bright Blue Sky.
Sacred Satono returned to the meeting as a three-year-old 12 months later, taking on older sprinters in the Counties Bowl and running a highly creditable second behind Letzbeglam. He went one better in the same race as a four-year-old last November, defeating Babylon Berlin and Romancing The Moon for a smart Counties Bowl victory.
The Bruce Wallace and Grant Cooksley-trained Sacred Satono heads into his third Counties Bowl appearance on Saturday as a last-start Group One performer. He finished third in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on September 7, beaten by a length and a quarter and a head by Grail Seeker and Faraglioni.
"I thought he went really well in the Tarzino," Cooksley said. "It was always the plan to freshen him up after that and go into the Counties Bowl without any runs in between, because there's a bit of gap between the Tarzino and the big summer sprints.
"Everything's gone alright with him leading into this race on Saturday and I think he's going into it in good shape. He's drawn the outside gate, which makes it a bit harder, but he should be thereabouts."
Sacred Satono heads a team of four runners at Pukekohe on Saturday for Wallace and Cooksley, who also have Moving Melody in the Head To Trackside.co.nz (1400m), He's Classic in the Franklin Long Roofing (1600m) and Son Of Sun in the HR Fisken & Sons (2100m). Son Of Sun is also entered for the Gr.3 TAB Counties Cup (2100m), but is third on the ballot.
"Son Of Sun has won two of his last three and he goes alright," Cooksley said. "He's been doing well since his last win. He's got a bit more weight in that Rating 75 race up on Saturday, going up to 60kg, but we can't fault how he's going."
Meanwhile, Cooksley reported that Trust In You has returned home after finishing 17th in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 5. That brought an end to a solid spring campaign in Australia for the Sweynesse gelding, who had previously finished fourth in the Gr.1 Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) and the Gr.3 St Leger (2600m).
"He's back home now and is out spelling," Cooksley said. "We'll give him a couple more weeks out in the paddock, and then we might put him on the water walker and take it from there."