Buyers have been circling around impressive debut winner Mascarinto, but so far the two-year-old’s connections have knocked back all potential suitors.
The son of Per Incanto was a runaway victor at the first time of asking and the price on his head will go up if he produces a repeat performance in Saturday’s Listed Fasttrack Insurance 2YO Stakes (1100m) at Te Rapa.
Mascarinto was awkwardly out of the barrier at Matamata before he mustered speed to lead and, with a minimum of urging from rider Sarah Macnab, he streaked clear to saunter home by six and three-quarter lengths.
“The phone has never stopped, I don’t think he’d got over the line before the first people started ringing,” trainer Steven Cole said.
“At this stage we are keeping him, but you never know and there has been some pretty big figures thrown around.”
Mascarinto had hinted at a first-up win in his lead-up work, but Cole was taken aback by his effort.
“He was pretty impressive and I can’t say in my time of racing that I have seen too many two-year-olds do that at the first time to the races without any official trials. He’s pretty exciting,” Cole said.
“He’d had three jump-outs at Pukekohe and Ellerslie and won them all by about the same distance, but to be fair, jump-outs and races are a completely different kettle of fish.
“We did expect him to go well, but his performance did exceed our expectations.”
Mascarinto’s debut win has virtually guaranteed him a berth in the Listed Doubletree By Hilton Karaka Million at Ellerslie in January.
“I think this year they may have to get a bit more than last year, but I think he will be in all the same,” Cole said.
The Karaka Million is also on stablemate Mi Electra’s program and she will be looking to bank her first qualifying cheque when she opposes Mascarinto on Saturday.
“She was supposed to race at Pukekohe last week, but they didn’t get enough nominations,” Cole said.
“She was either going to run at Te Rapa or at Te Aroha next week, but we thought with basically a maiden field on Saturday barring my other horse she might as well have a crack at $70,000 rather than $20,000.”
Mi Electra has been given a similar build-up to her barnmate ahead of her debut outing.
“She’s quite a nice filly and like Mascarinto has had three jump-outs and won two of them. A couple of senior riders have said she gave them a nice feel,” Cole said.
Lisa Allpress has been booked to partner Mi Electra while Michael McNab will take the reins aboard Mascarinto.
Meanwhile, the capable Magneto is progressing well following surgery after beating one runner home at Matamata last time out. Plans for a tilt at the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) were subsequently scrapped.
“He’s coming along nicely, we gelded him since his last run. We were pretty disappointed because we thought he would be a good chance,” Cole said.
“He never went a yard on the heavy track so we didn’t go to Christchurch. He’ll go to Ellerslie on Monday for a quiet jump-out before we find a race to kick him off again.”
Magneto won the Gr.3 Woburn Farm Classic (1200m) at New Plymouth last season and was third in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) at Trentham. He added to his black-type record this term when also third in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings. – NZ Racing Desk
