Local trainers Brian and Shane Anderton hold a strong hand heading into Wingatui’s Friday meeting, headlined by Group Three winner Burgie.
The six-year-old mare is set for a date with White Robe Lodge resident stallion Ancient Spirit this spring and her trainers are hoping there is a win or two left in the daughter of Ghibellines before she retires to the broodmare paddock.
Bred by Brian Anderton and his late wife Lorraine, Burgie is raced by the respected horseman with BJ's Southern Syndicate, and has gone onto win four of her 28 starts, including the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m), Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) and $100,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m), and more than $230,000 in prizemoney.
She will kick-off her final campaign at Wingatui on Friday in the KB Contractor Open (1400m), and her trainers are hoping for a good showing ahead of a possible trip north to Riccarton next month for the New Zealand Cup Carnival.
"She has done a fair bit of work, so she is ready for her run," Shane Anderton said. "It is probably going to be a bit short, but she usually goes pretty well fresh.
"She is getting served this time round, so it is all going to work around that. Hopefully we will get up to Cup Week and find a race for her up there. It depends when we serve her, but something like the White Robe (Gr.3, 1600m) would be a nice race for her."
Lightly-raced mare Lined Satin is another who will be first-up in the Nellies Restaurant & Bar Maiden (1500m).
The five-year-old mare was runner-up in her sole start to date over 1400m at the Dunedin track in April, and Anderton is confident of another bold showing.
"She went a good race last season first-up," he said. "She has done a lot of work, so we are hoping for a nice run. It just all depends on what the track is going to be like. It is Heavy at the moment, but there is nothing we can do about that."
Stablemates Cee Are El and Our Approval both take last start winning results into Friday, with the pair tackling the White Robe Lodge (2200m) and Otago Painting Solutions (1600m) respectively.
"Cee Are El has been pretty consistent since she has come down," Anderton said. "She has been served too and while the tracks still have a bit of give in them, she will carry on for a bit longer.
"Our Approval has done well. We are stepping him up to a mile on Friday. I am not too sure how he will go on the wet ground. He won on a Good4 at Oamaru, but the family have gone well on the wet so hopefully he should be right in it."
The stable will also line-up Chupalla and Mabel in the Grand Casino Maiden (1200m), and Haggle in the Positive Signs + Print (1200m). –
