By Tayler Strong
Field Marshal is due to begin an Australian campaign in the $50,000 Bulli Cup (one mile) at Menangle on April 29.
“He is on a flight from Christchurch on April 28. It is not ideal racing the next day but it was the only flight available. I have done it before with horses,” said Tim Butt, his West Melton trainer. “ He (Field Marhal) will then go to the Newcastle Mile and could be in Australia for two or three months.’’
Butt is targeting the $150,000 Breeders Challenge for colts and geldings at Menangle on June 25 with Let It Ride, who has won four of his five starts and finished sixth in the New Zealand Derby.
A triple Group One winner in New Zealand as a four-year-old last season, Field Marshal finished fifth behind Lazarus in a Free-For-All at Addington on March 31 when resuming from a four and a half month break.
“We were delighted with his run. We timed him to run his last half in 53,” said owner Syd Brown.
Field Marshal raced in Australia at two and three, winning twice at Menangle and once at Yarra Valley. He won the Group Three Simpson Memorial at Menangle in 1.55.1 and another mile race there in 1.54. He ran 1.53.1 in the Harness Jewels at Cambridge.
Syd and Shona Brown and Butt won a race at Rangiora on Sunday with Rocknroll Magic, a four-year-old half brother by Rocknroll Hanover to Field Marshal. He is the third winner from as many foals to race out of Foreal, who is also the dam of Madiba Magic (1.51.4).
Stablemate Lady Chatto appears to have taken no harm from a fall in the Pink Bonnet at Menangle on Saturday.
Winner of the Group Three Leonard Memorial at Addington; a heat of the Bathurst Gold Tiara and second in the Final from the Butt stable, she is due to have a quiet trial today (Tuesday) as a prelude to returning to New Zealand later in the day for the $110,000 Caduceus Club Classic in Auckland on April 21. She will trial at Cambridge if a trial tomorrow is ruled out.
“She did not even have a graze and ate her supper that night,” said Tom Richardson, her Dunedin owner. “We think she dropped the tongue tie when she got fired up and veered to the inside of the track and went down.
“I was watching the race on television with about 100 others at a function in Invercargill and it looked horrific.”
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