NZ HARNESS NEWS
EMERGING Aussie training force Mick Stanley has New Zealand on his radar.
Stanley has nominated his NSW Oaks runner-up Soho Burning Love for the Group 1 NZ Oaks on May 18 and says it could be a forerunner to new stable star Soho Tribeca tackling the NZ Cup in November.
“We are serious about the NZ Oaks and then, if she goes well, the Jewels a couple of weeks later as well,” he said. “She is a Vicbred, but you have to race three times in that series with a $115,000 final. In NZ we can race twice in races to the value of $300,000.”
Soho Burning Love won her first three starts this season then ran second in a heat and final of the NSW Oaks.
At her only run since, she won by 48.5m in a flying 1min54.9sec mile at Newcastle on March 17.
“After the race Luke McCarthy raved about how good she is. He’s given me the confidence to try NZ and he’s said he’ll go across and drive her as well,” Stanley said.
But first, Soho Burning Love will be one of four runners Stanley will have during the huge Bathurst Gold Crown Carnival, which starts on Friday night.
“Her heat is on Monday,” he said. “I’ve also got Desirable Stride in a Tiara (2yo fillies) on Friday night then a couple of colts (Kiwi Stride and Soho Thunderstruck) in Crown heats (2yo colts and geldings) on Saturday night.
“Desirable Stride is a bit special. She reminds me of Petacular. It’ll take a freak to beat her in the Tiara final.
“The colts are handy, but might be a length or so below the best runs.”
Stanley will be at Bathurst so will watch on TV as Soho Tribeca tackles the $50,000 Group 2 Melton Plate (2240m) at Melton on Saturday night.
“He’s set to go and the way he went last week, he’ll be very hard to beat again,” he said.
“He’ll have three or four weeks out after this and come back for the Len Smith Mile and then up to Queensland.
“Rob (Watson, owner-breeder) is keen on the NZ Cup, so I plan to use the Oaks trip over there with Soho Burning Love as a chance to nail everything down for when I go back with Tribeca.”
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