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Wexford Stables has strong candidates for three features this weekend, though trainer Lance O'Sullivan has revealed only moderate expectations.
O'Sullivan and his co-trainer Andrew Scott will produce Glass Slipper in Saturday's Gr.1 gavelhouse.com 44th NZ 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton, Gentil Tonton in the Gr.3 Christchurch Casino 153rd New Zealand Cup (3200m) on the same programme and Sound Proposition in the Gr.2 Preston Rowe Paterson Property Valuers Tauranga Stakes (1600m).
O'Sullivan shares in the ownership of Pins filly Glass Slipper, who has yet to win in six starts. Her four placings include a third in the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie, second in the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings and last-start second in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie."We're really happy with her. But let's not get carried away because she's still a maiden and that South Island filly [La Diosa] will probably give them a flogging," O'Sullivan said.
"But the placings are up for grabs and if she could do that, then we'd be very happy. Andrew has travelled down with her and he's really happy with her. She's bright and she's improved a bit since that Ellerslie run."O'Sullivan said Gentil Tonton hadn't handled the firm conditions at Riccarton when he finished eighth in the Listed Metropolitan Handicap (2500m) on the first day of the carnival.
"The track was too hard for him the other day. He's down there so he'll run on Saturday and any rain will help his chances, but if those races had been up here, he probably wouldn't be going around again this weekend."At Tauranga, Sound Proposition meets a quality field of Group One-performed gallopers.
The five-year-old gelding was a fast-finishing fourth at Ellerslie last month in his first run since winning the Gr.1 Easter Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie in April."It was a good first-up run. He usually takes a few runs to hit his best form and he's still on the up," O'Sullivan said.
"He's a funny horse in that the more racing he gets, the more weight he puts on. I'd like to see him a bit heavier myself. When he won the Easter, he was 15 kilos heavier than at any other point of his preparation."I can see him running on into the first four on Saturday - and I'd be happy with that. We're aiming him at the 2000m weight-for-age [Zabeel Classic] at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and this should be a good stepping stone."