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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Top trainer explains what punters should look for on heavy tracks
'It is very satisfying and we have some nice horses for next season too.' For all Forsman's experience and ability he admits the chances of many of those he sends to Te Rapa and Ōtaki tomorrow come down to a factor the eye simply can't see. 'At this stage of the season what sort of heavy track you get and whether they can handle it dictates so much,' he explains. 'The difference between a Heavy 8 and a bottomless Heavy 10 is huge and once you get to the really heavy tracks, it is nearly impossible to know whether they will handle it or not. 'If they don't, they simply can't win.' Forsman says the best indicator he can come up with as to whether a horse will handle trench warfare-level tracks is strength and size. 'Those bigger and most importantly stronger horses tend to handle the really heavy tracks better, because it can be a battle of who is strongest. 'But it is still really hard to predict and a lot comes down to how heavy it is and whether there is rain on the day, or even the day before.' The best example of the winter unknowns for Forsman tomorrow is Force Of Nature (race six, No 7) at Te Rapa, who has come a long way in a short time but may even skip tomorrow's open 1300m if the weather deteriorates. 'He won here on a Heavy 8 last start but I'd prefer it to come back a point from the Heavy 10 it was today [Thursday],' Forsman said. 'He is a really nice horse who I think will get black type but we don't want to be running him on anything too heavy.' Saint Bathans (R5, No 1) is a one-time Rich Hill Mile runner-up who has shown only glimpses of that ability since, so Forsman has opted for a different approach tomorrow, putting him in an R75 with a carded 63.5kgs but dropping to 59.5kgs with apprentice Sam McNab aboard. 'We know the abiility is there but he hasn't been showing it,' Forsman said. 'We put blinkers on the last two runs but they didn't help so we are taking him back the track where he last went well [second three starts ago]. 'He is big enough to carry a decent weight but it is up to him now.' Forsman has two other reps wearing the No 1 saddlecloth early in the card, with Richard And I (R2) and Rio Grande (R3) both getting star jockey Michael McNab. 'They can both win but it comes down again to how they handle the track. But I do like Richard And I and think he will improve on last start.' Forsman also sends one-from-one filly Accentuate to Ōtaki for the $80,000 Ryder Stakes and an ideal opportunity to get black type and again says how deep the track ends up will be crucial. 'She was really good winning on debut at when it was pretty heavy so she should handle it,' he said. 'I really like her but it is a nice field with a couple of horses with a fair bit more experience than her. 'So a lot will depend how they all handle the track.' Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
NZ Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Velocious gets ideal opportunity at Ellerslie to make up for lost season
Which is one reason Velocious heads there today. 'It is her favourite track, she has won a Group 1 and a Karaka Millions there,' says Marsh. 'We are looking at Australia with her, there is a race in Brisbane on June 7 that would suit her but obviously she would need to race well this weekend. 'I think she will. Forget last start when things didn't go her way, she will go a lot better on Saturday.' Velocious (R6, No 1) could hardly come into today's set weights and penalty race better off, carrying only 1kg more than horses just out of maidens even though she is a Group 1 winner of nearly $1 million. She gets the right barrier to settle handy and if she is going to be heading to Sunshine State she would want to be at least paying a dividend today. While that potential trip explains why last season's Juvenile of the Year is racing in a normal race in mid-May, Marsh says there is a different reason Bourbon Empress is a surprise acceptor for the open 1400m today. Already the winner of the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile this season, Bourbon Empress would usually be enjoying her autumn spell before chasing spring Group 1s but Marsh says her appetite is the issue. 'She is such a big, strong mare who does so well we thought if we gave her a long spell, she would do too well and it would be really hard to get the weight off her. 'So she will have one or run races now to tick her over and we haven't totally ruled out her popping over to Australia for a race either.' A horse who has travelled the other way across the Tasman is one Marsh suggests could provide a good start to the day, in a rare opening-race run before noon. 'Hakushu has a lot of ability and actually went to Australia but never raced there,' explains Marsh. 'He is better than maiden grade.' The Cambridge trainer is also campaigning Super Photon (R4, No 1) in a A$150,000 ($163,500) race at Flemington today, up against good mate Andrew Forsman, who has Yaldi in the same race. 'I think Flemington will suit him and I can't believe the odds he is [$34] considering he beat the older horses last start,' says Marsh. Marsh is locked in a battle for the title of New Zealand's leading black-type trainer, with 17 wins at that level, the same as the Walker/Bergerson stable but the latter have the favourite Towering Vision (R4, No 1) in today's $100,000 Skycity Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie. While Marsh may also ultimately have to settle for his usual second on the trainer's premiership as he sits 20 wins behind Walker/Bergerson, he is still proud of his best-ever season, especially at black-type level. 'The staff have done an amazing job and we have had great support from owners,' he says. 'That has enabled us to go to the yearling sales and buy the horses we want and this year we have bought 16 yearlings, which is a lot for us. 'But we have almost sold all of them, with only a couple of small shares in horses who didn't cost a lot of money left but I'd imagine that would go pretty quickly. 'With the huge stake increases in New Zealand and Australia right next door, we realise there is a golden opportunity and we want to make the most of it and take new owners along for the ride.' Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
