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Te Rapa test for Ali Baba; Hover out for a spell; Group One goal for Kiwi-bred

Te Rapa test for Ali Baba

Ali Baba's performance at Te Rapa on Labour Day Monday will determine whether he heads to Christchurch for the Gr.1 Sothys NZ 2000 Guineas.

“He’ll go to the Sarten Memorial and if he puts his hand up again there then he’ll have a crack at the Guineas,” said Nick Fairweather, racing manager of trainers Michael Moroney and Chad Ormsby.

Ali Baba emerged as a black type contender at Matamata on Saturday when he broke his maiden in three-year-old company at his second appearance.

Hover out for a spell

Talented but erratic galloper Hover has been sent for a break to allow Mother Nature to take its course.

“He’s gone to the paddock,” trainer Allan Sharrock said. “At his last start he just didn’t want to be there so he’ll have a couple of months off and hopefully all the bad traits will go away.”

An impressive winner of two races at Trentham last season, Hover’s barrier and racing manners have let him down in a couple of subsequent runs.

Group One goal for Kiwi-bred

The Gr.1 Hong Kong Mile has become the target for the impressive New Zealand-bred Packing Pins.

Unbeaten in his last five starts for trainer Ricky Yiu, the five-year-old has a career record of six wins from nine appearances and the son of Pins will make his next appearance in the Gr.2 Sha Tin Trophy.

“We will throw him in the deep end, he can run there and then three weeks later in the Jockey Club Mile to prove himself worthy of an invitation,” Yiu said.

“The aim has always been to go for the Hong Kong Mile, but he still needs to get his rating high enough.”