3 minute read

In-form Hawke’s Bay stayer Wait A Sec may find himself in Group One company on the way to his main spring target.

He won for the sixth time in his last eight starts when he arrived late to claim the Kaponga Hotel Egmont Cup (2100m) at Hawera on Saturday and serious thought will now be given to a crack at the Livamol Classic (2040m) on his home track on Sunday week.

“It’s going to be very tempting,” said Grant Cullen, who trains in partnership with Guy Lowry. “We’ll wait and see how he pulls up, but it’s on the cards.”

Wait A Sec got well back in the running and was forced to cover extra ground when circling runners near the turn and a sustained finish in the straight earned him a slender victory.

“It was a similar run to when he won at Hastings two starts ago,” Cullen said. “He was four wide down the back and then they put the brakes on so he’s done well.

“He’s a really happy horse and he always wants to please. He’s doing a great job.”

Wait A Sec holds a nomination for next month’s Gr.3 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup (3200m) and rider Johnathan Parkes believes the Riccarton feature is an ideal race for the gelding.

“That’s his main goal and he’s looking good for it,” he said. “It was a really good effort today, he had 59kg and they went slowly. He had to go around the field and he was doing his best work on the winning post.”

Itsallbelt came through strongly nearer the fence to finish a close second and Blathwayt responded well to the addition of blinkers to run third.