Kensington and Gosford previews: Engine to crank up on Anzac Day

Courier-Mail

24-04-2025

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Bryce Heys' early purchase of a ticket on the Super Seth train turned juggernaut is paying off big time for connections of Karaka Yearling graduate and Kensington-bound three-year-old Engine Room.
Super Seth is one of six stallions on the Waikato Stud roster alongside the nine-time Champion New Zealand Sire, Savabeel, and the five-time Group 1 winner Ocean Park.
Super Seth already has claimed one title of his own after being crowned Champion First Season Sire in 2023/24.
The son of Dundeel currently has a commanding lead over Snitzel on the Two-Year-Old Sires' table for this season thanks in part to daughter La Dorada's win in the Karaka Million earlier this year.
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Heys first spotted Engine Room at NZB's Karaka sales complex, an hour south of Auckland, at the firm's main sale in January 2023.
It was then and there that Heys forked out $150,000 to secure the son of Super Seth and the two-time French black-type performer Mary D'or.
'I have always been a rap on Super Seth,' Heys said.
'I love the (Dundeel) sire-line and when Waikato go out on a limb to stand a stallion like that, that always adds merit to your thoughts as well.
'I was deadset keen on buying one from his first crop and ended up buying Engine Room. I bought another this year and he appears to be going particularly well.'
Engine Room, who contests the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1250m) on the Kensington, has paid back about half of his purchase price within the space of just three starts.
He would have squared the ledger had he won the Midway last Saturday at Randwick as predicted by many but that test was put on hold given the added degree of difficulty owing to a wide draw.
'I was a little bit lucky last Saturday,' Heys began.
'I had another horse in the race which is very rare because we're a small stable, and I knew it was going to race very well from the better gate so it made it easy to explain to my owners who own both horses.
'I just felt that the best thing to do was to leave Engine Room at home.
'We think that he goes alright. He's shown that he has got some form of ability, so I want to run him where I can put him in a scenario to give him a chance to win again whereas if we had of gone around the other day, he would have run a good fourth or fifth with the rail out and being back and wide.
'I actually would have liked to have run him at Randwick (Saturday) but he's drawn the car park again.
'He'll get his time to run in a Saturday race, sooner rather than later.'
Heys has a second chance for an Anzac Day win on the Kensington track via the exceedingly well-bred colt Faceoff in the Maiden Plate (1250m).
The flashy chestnut is out of Stella Vega who is a half-sister to Heys former barnstormer par excellence, Spieth.
And while Faceoff arrives in town with two 'lasts' next to his name, he has rattled off 33 second last 600m sectionals in each of those respectable losses at unsuitable venues.
'His form looks a bit plain but I feel that he'll run very well. He is looking for that 1200-1250m now.
'This will be his career best run for whatever that's worth.'
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Wyong trainer Wayne Seelin has four chances to notch his 100th winner when Gosford hosts its annual Anzac Day meeting.
Seelin's first winner came at home, back in February 2003, when the Bowness Stud-bred mare Sky Can Hurri won the last race on the card.
A further 16 wins of Seelin's 99 (not out) were scored by the iron-horse Isorich who retired with 155 starts under his belt and earnings in excess of $800,000.
Two of Seelin's four runners this week could be politely regarded as 'batting bunnies' so if he is to reach his century, it will likely be thanks to the sluggers Capital Jicinta or Apache Breeze.
Capital Jicinta belied her $51 starting price when a brave and determined third in her 1000m assignment eight days ago.
The fifth generation descendant of broodmare gem Easy Date's mission this time around is the Glason Group Maiden Plate over 1100m.
'She's not a perfect 'barrier horse', she comes out in the air a little bit,' Seelin warned.
'It's a hard thing to get them to stop doing so I think it's possible that could happen for the next couple of starts until she learns to flatten out a bit coming out of the gate.
'Provided she isn't too far off them, she is tough and tenacious, and she's got a bit of ability.
'She's got to be some chance.'
Seelin can count himself somewhat unlucky not to have participated in the recently completed Provincial-Midway Championships Final via his occasionally unlucky but frequently barnstorming gelding, Apache Breeze.
The son of Golden Rose winner Duporth finished seventh in the Gosford March 15 Qualifier and the Wild Card at Wyong after that, each time with excuses.
'He needs a bit of luck around the tighter circuits because he's probably better if you ride him a little bit quiet,' Seelin said.
'But around these smaller tracks, you need to be a little bit handier, which he also can do.
'He's pretty versatile but from barrier 10, we are going to need a little bit of luck but he's really feeling well and probably back in the easiest race he's been in for a while.'
Apache Breeze counts one of, if the not the best, racehorses of all time as a family member.
His tenth dam is Entreaty, who when matched with the stallion Nightmarch, produced the immortal Phar Lap.