Photo: Chanelle Lawson
Regally-bred filly Emmber will be looking to add to her future broodmare career when she lines-up in the Gr.1 Alabar Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Championship Mobile Pace (2200m) at Alexandra Park on New Year’s Eve.
The daughter of triple Group One winner Lauraella and full-brother to Group One performer Express Stride will head into Tuesday’s assignment off the back of securing her maiden win at Cambridge Raceway on Christmas Eve.
“It was a good run. She benefited from a nice trip and did it pretty easily in the end,” said Matthew White, who trains the filly in partnership with Mike Berger.
“She has come through the race really well, she is bouncing around.”
Emmber has drawn the ace barrier and White is delighted with the draw, believing she will need every ounce of luck in her first tilt at elite level.
“It’s a lot tougher than it was the other day, but she comes up with a nice draw,” White said. “She has drawn to do no work.
“She is up against it with the likes of Robert Dunn’s two runners (Need You Now and Spellbound) and Mark Purdon’s one (Amazing Dream), but she is going to be back on the fence doing no work.
“If she can run in the top five we will be rapt.”
While White is looking forward to Tuesday’s contest his focus is currently set towards Cambridge Raceway’s Sunday meeting, where Double M Racing Stables will line-up four runners.
Doctor Love will be attempting to breakthrough for his maiden win in the Tirau Earthmovers Mobile Pace (2200m) and White is confident he can do so after his last-start runner-up performance at the track.
“It was a really good run a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “It’s a bit of tricky draw (gate six) on Sunday, but at this stage he is probably better just saved up for one run anyway.
“We will just try and slot him in somewhere and see how the race pans out.
“I think he will go a good race again. He is pretty inexperienced and he is still learning, but he is going into this one as good as he was last time.
“A couple of weeks before that last race the penny had dropped with him and he had improved a lot.
“If he gets the right sort of run we are confident he should go well.”
Doctor Love’s half-brother Spirit of Anzac will also fly the stable’s colours in the 1-day.co.nz Mobile Pace (2700m).
The son of Bettor’s Delight takes a strong formline into the race, having strung together a series of placings and White is confident of another strong showing from his charge.
“He is racing really well,” he said. “He has got a good record over 2700m and it looks like he will be hard to beat in that race.
“He has been racing in Auckland, so it is a bit of a drop back for him on Sunday.”
Cool and Calculating is another stable runner heading into Sunday off the back of a nice runner-up performance and White is once again pleased with her draw (gate nine) in the BetaVet Premium Natural Solutions Mobile Pace (2200m).
“She did put in a good run last start,” White said. “She can be a bit hit and miss, but her work has been good since then and she has got the right draw for her too.
“She is drawn to do no work on the fence and hopefully she is going well enough at the end of it.
“She is a horse who can’t make her own luck, she needs everything going right for her, but she is in a good frame of mind at the moment which is good.”
All Yours will be the Cambridge conditioners’ final runner of the day when he contests the Welcome Home Kim Lamb Mobile Pace (2200m).
The Art Major gelding will head into the race in a fresh state and White is hoping his charge has benefited from his break.
“He was a bit tied up when he pulled up last start,” White said. “He has had a bit of trouble with his feet as well after that run, so we gave him a wee break and he has been working up pretty well.
“He has just had the one workout last Saturday and he will take more improvement out of the run on Sunday.
“It’s quite a good draw (nine) for him first-up. He always goes an honest race. He’s probably a run short, but if things work out well he is an each-way hope.”
White is confident of a bold showing from all four runners on Sunday, but has highlighted Spirit Of Anzac as the stable’s best chance of the day.
“He had a really good run last start and he has been knocking on the door for a wee while now,” he said. – Cambridge Raceway
