“Old School” Cup campaign for Manzor Blue
Wellington Cup winner Manzor Blue (NZ) (Almanzor) will fly a lone New Zealand flag among Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) nominations, with connections plotting an old-school path towards the Melbourne spring features.
The Lisa Latta-trained six-year-old, raced by Go Racing, is the only New Zealand-trained horse nominated for the Caulfield showpiece.
Go Racing founder and director Albert Bosma believes the lack of Kiwi-trained representation reflects the changing complexion of Australia’s major staying races.
“Things have changed over the last 20 years,” Bosma told Racing.com.
“You still get good New Zealand stayers, but they tend to probably head over to Australia earlier and be sold and raced there, as evidenced by there being 24 nominees with the ‘NZ’ suffix but just one NZ-trained.”
Manzor Blue has established herself among New Zealand’s leading stayers, winning the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) before finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Bosma believes the daughter of Almanzor and the Zabeel mare Turquoise Coast (NZ) has the attributes to make her presence felt in Melbourne.
“She stays and she’s got a very, very good turn of foot,” he said.
“We’re not romantics in that we realise there’s a bit of a gulf between winning a Wellington Cup and running in a Caulfield Cup or a Melbourne Cup, but we believe she has the right qualities.
“If you look at her win in the Wellington Cup, she was last for most of the race, then ran a very good last 600m to win.
“We think she has the capabilities to perform in a Caulfield Cup and a Melbourne Cup.”
Manzor Blue will remain in New Zealand for the bulk of her preparation rather than travelling to Melbourne early in the spring.
“Over the last 10 years, New Zealand horses have tended to head over to Australia early in the season, and that hasn’t worked, in our opinion,” Bosma said.
“A large reason for that is they’re coming out of a cold New Zealand winter, they’re not as forward as the Australian horses and they struggle and lose confidence and lose rating points.
“So we’re going back to an old-school preparation where Manzor Blue will be prepared in New Zealand the whole way.”
The Caulfield Cup is the preferred starting point for Manzor Blue’s Australian campaign, with the A$500,000 Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m) the alternative.
“The Caulfield Cup is the top pick, but if not, it will be the Geelong Cup and then a Melbourne Cup,” Bosma said.
“She will only have two starts in Australia.”
- RACING.COM