Medina produces stylish win

Medina winning at Cambridge on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Cambridge trainer Andrew Forsman celebrated a comfortable victory at Cambridge today (Wednesday) with Medina in the Martin Collins New Zealand MAAT 1550.

The striking filly dictated as pacemaker throughout under Michael McNab, and pulled away at the top of the straight to score stylishly by 2-3/4 lengths over last-start winning duo Nystrom and Chattahoochee.

“I thought she was much improved, she’s always been a filly that’s shown a lot of ability but hadn’t quite put it together on race day,” Forsman said.

“The best thing about today was seeing her win so dominantly after being given a very good ride.”

Forsman said the American Pharoah three-year-old may be ready for a spell, however, due to her liking for the synthetic surface he may aim her for the Rating 75 1550m event at Cambridge on August 16th.

The Cambridge trainer will now turn his attention to three runners representing the stable at Te Rapa on Saturday, with Turn The Ace, Russian Satire, and last-start winner Leedox.

Five-win gelding Turn The Ace was too tough two starts back when winning at Te Rapa in heavy conditions and will likely meet similar ground at a much lighter weight when contesting the Bob & Colleen Donaldson Memorial Open Handicap (1400m).

“He was a little bit disappointing at Tauranga, but we put it down to the holding nature of the track, he didn’t quite get through it and it has tripped him up at times,” Forsman said.

“We’re hopeful that back at Te Rapa, a track he seems to go really well on, he can bounce back to his best form,” Forsman said.

The son of in-form stallion Turn Me Loose will be partnered with top hoop Michael McNab, who also combines with the stakes-winning gelding Leedox in the Property Brokers Taumarunui 3YO (1400m).

Forsman indicated that the heavy conditions may challenge the son of Time Test, who produced a tough victory at Ruakaka last start to add to his Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) win last autumn.

“The better the track the better off he’ll be, so we’re hoping for fine weather and the track to get to the better side of Slow for him to be at his best,” he said.

Russian Satire is nominated for multiple events but Forsman is leaning toward starting the three-year-old filly within her Rating 65 grade, under McNab in the Woods Contracting 1300.

“The 3YO race has come up a little bit tough but we’ll work that out closer to the time (where she starts),” Forsman said.

“She’s in really good form, she won well on a pretty heavy track at Te Rapa and things just haven’t quite gone right for her since.”

“With any sort of luck she should be competitive in either race she contests.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

More Recent Sports

Jane’s two-day plus marathon

Cambridge’s Jane McAlpine set a New Zealand women’s record last week in Queensland at the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Masters, running 355km in 53 hours. The Te Awamutu College alumna is coached by fellow New…

Czyk burns out in Spain

Wotjek Czyz caused the big upset in the second round at the Parastanding World Tennis championships in Spain last week only to dip out in the quarter finals. The Cambridge Paralympian beat France’s Cédric Delmas…

Swim Fest launched

Lake Karāpiro will host a two-day festival of swimming next year, the first of its type in New Zealand, say organisers. The combination of swimming events, community activities and lakeside entertainment will make the lake…

New caps and victories

Te Awamutu Sports and Hautapu claimed wins on Matariki weekend, while the Cambridge-based side has a new All Black cap in their ranks. Chiefs prop Ollie Norris has joined fellow Hautapu club man Luke Jacobson…