Potential Derby tilt for son of Rock ‘N’ Pop
The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained The Mayor could be set for a tilt at the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) after his victory in the Matamata Commercial Cleaners (1600m) at Matamata on Friday.
The three-year-old Rock ‘n’ Pop gelding jumped well, securing a trail behind early leader Rub It In before making his way to the front at the 150m mark and holding out the fast-finishing Flying Feet.
“He showed a turn of foot and it was aided by a good ride from Sam (Weatherley),” Scott said.
“Our horse is going to keep on improving I think because he is bred to go a long way, which is encouraging with the staying three-year-old races coming up. Whether he quite has the strength to get up to those races only time will tell, but today was really encouraging.
“We will have to have a talk with Michael Hughes, who part-owns and manages the horse, I think we have come this far and it’s only a few hand spans away to the Derby.”
The Corner with Garry Chittick
It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.
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First foal for Waikato’s Group 1 winner Skew Wiff
Group 1-winning Savabeel mare Skew Wiff (ex Starvoia), known affectionately as ‘Wiffy’, foaled a filly by Super Seth in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 August.
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