NZ HARNESS NEWS
Classy pacer Maxim remains on course for the Auckland Cup in 13 days’ time, despite not having raced since the New Zealand Cup five weeks ago.
A bout of soreness after his unlucky fourth in the $800,000 feature has seen him restricted to mostly swimming and beach work since.
“He seems pretty good; it just took him a week or so get over it,” said trainer Brent Mangos.
“We’ll probably just go in to the Auckland Cup without a run beforehand.”
Going over two miles fresh-up after seven weeks is hardly ideal, but Mangos says Maxim has held his fitness well in the interim.
“He hasn’t lost any fitness; he’s been down to the beach a few times, swum in the pool and done a bit of everything.
“I’ll probably take him in to Pukekohe for a couple of good private hit-outs in the next week or so and that should top him off nicely.”
Mangos spent his weekend wondering how his juvenile pacer Smart Fortune could go out paying $19.20 in a five-horse Young Guns heat at Alexandra Park on Friday night.
The Perth-owned son of Art Major led the whole way and won handsomely.
“I couldn’t work that one out.
“He’d won all his trials and, while I know he hadn’t gone any great sort of time, he’d done it well.
“I’m going to give him 10 days off as he had been in work for a fair while.
“We’ll get him back ready to race in February, perhaps in the last Young Guns heat before the final.”
Mangos has a stack of two-year-olds, many owned by the same Perth family – that of trainer Barry Howlett – as Smart Fortune.
“There are a lot of them there and a few will be ready to trial in about three weeks.
“Maybe five or six are ready to roll out and they’re all going ok without one being better than the others.”
Another Howlett-owned horse is the three-year-old trotter Storm Cloud, an impressive maiden winner at Alexandra Park last month.
Mangos expects him to be a horse capable of tackling age group features as the season wears on.
“I’d like to hope he will measure up against the good ones; he seems to have a bit of bottom to him and is a good, strong horse.
“I tipped him out for a bit and he’ll be back trialing in mid-January.”
- NZ Harness News
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