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Tana Shaw uses a quote from her namesake Tana Umaga when summing up Noble Warrior's chances in Saturday's Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m).
"Like Tana Umaga said, we're not going there to play tiddlywinks," Shaw said.
Shaw races the Le Bec Fin nine-year-old gelding in partnership with the 13-win galloper's breeder Wally Noble out of the stable of her husband Grant Shaw, with whom she formerly trained in partnership.A forlorn $61 outsider, Noble Warrior goes into the Matamata Cup second-up after finishing ninth in the Listed Westbury Stud Karaka Classic (1400m) at Avondale resuming.
"I was quite surprised how well he ran over 1400m at Avondale - it blew me away that he could finish only three lengths from the winner," Shaw said."It's a full field and there are some handy ones in there, but he'll be trying. He's nine now so he hasn't got a lot of racing left and we want to make the most of him while he's still going. He's looking a picture."
Noble Warrior was unplaced in the Matamata Cup last year before finishing second to subsequent dual Group One winner Soriano in the Listed Rotorua Challenge Plate (1950m). He went on to contest the Gr.3 Metropolitan Handicap (2500m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), both at Riccarton, finishing 11th and 15th respectively.He then backed up a week later at the other end of the country and, despite starting at $63, won the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) at Avondale.
"Boom!" Shaw said, adding it was she who convinced her husband to start Noble Warrior in that race."That's the main target again this year," she said, adding that Noble Warrior was likely to do his lead-up racing in the north this year, with the Rotorua race, renamed the Jakkalberry Classic, again on the programme.
Last year's Counties Cup-winning jockey Rogan Norvall retains the ride for Saturday.