A son of Hollie Wynyard’s first Group One winner will have his turn in the spotlight at Te Rapa on Saturday, representing the Cambridge horsewoman in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m).
That runner will be Wyndstorm, a two-year-old gelding out of the second crop of yearlings by Wyndspelle. In the care of Wynyard, and former training partner Johno Benner, Wyndspelle placed at the highest level on a number of occasions, capped off by his crowning victory in the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m).
Five years on, Wynyard was entrusted with Wyndstorm, who made an immediate impression when winning at the Foxton trials, an effort he backed up on debut when finishing a tidy third behind Pacific Breeze.
The long-striding youngster stepped out at Ellerslie for the first time earlier this month, and despite racing three-wide throughout, he was too good for his rivals and earned a black-type assignment in the process.
“He’s definitely always shown a bit of ability, he’s a lovely big horse, pretty laid back and he doesn’t care about anything really,” Wynyard said.
“When he won, that didn’t come too much as a surprise, but the way he did it sitting three-wide showed he has quite a bit there.
“This guy is probably twice the size of his father, Wyndspelle was pretty short and nuggety. But they are very similar in temperament, Wyndspelle was just an absolute dude. He was the ultimate professional, knew his job and gave it 100 percent every day.”
Wyndstorm’s versatility will likely come into play in the juvenile feature, drawing the extreme outside barrier.
“He hasn’t drawn a very good gate in 14, so we’ll have to work out what we do from there,” Wynyard said. “He’s proven he can go back, sit wide and do whatever we want really, and still be there at the end so hopefully we can get it right.
“He’s a big horse so we gave him a bit of time between runs, the 1400 is going to suit him and he’ll run that out naturally so we don’t need to do a lot with him. He’s only had one gallop this week.”
Wynyard’s two-pronged attack in the race will be completed by Toretto, a winning two-year-old in his own right earlier in the season. After winning a trial at Foxton this time in, the son of Ardrossan didn’t favour the conditions at Ellerslie when contesting the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m).
“I think the track was a little bit testing and holding and he just didn’t cop it, he raced on a similar track at Wanganui in his first-up run and had the same sort of result,” she said.
“I’m not going to read too much into that, he can handle a soft track but it just needs to be loose.”
While hopeful for a strong performance on Saturday, Wynyard’s target for Toretto is the Listed Staphanos By Deep Impact Champagne Stakes (1600m), run at Ellerslie on May 17.
“We’ve taken the blinkers off for Saturday, we’ll ride him a bit quieter and have him attacking the line,” she said. “He’s looking like a mile will suit, so we’re really setting him for the Champagne.
“We’re just playing around with a few things, but he’s working great and he’s a talented little horse. Hopefully he can put his best foot forward on Saturday.”
Back in Cambridge, Wynyard’s sharp filly Archaic Smile has pulled up well from her second consecutive Group placing in the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) last weekend. She finished just three-quarters of a length from Ardalio, after finishing a half-length adrift of Vegas Queen when runner-up in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m).
Rapt with her performance, Wynyard is considering the Gr.3 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) to complete the filly’s season on May 10.
“I’m very proud of her, she’s not the biggest filly and definitely hasn’t got the straightest legs, but she’s got a bit of ability there and a heart as big as herself,” Wynyard said. “She just gives everything each time she goes out.
“We are quietly looking at the fillies and mares 1400 at Rotorua, that would definitely be her last race this prep. But any signs before then that she’s had enough, she’ll head straight to the paddock.
“At the moment we’re happy enough with her and we’ll wait and see what the track ends up like.”
Looking to next season with the Group One-performing daughter of Saxon Warrior, Wynyard is hoping to test her abilities over a mile.
“I’m pretty keen to see how she would go over a mile, just the way she relaxes in her races now and how she runs out the 1400m,” she said. “If she can get a mile, that opens up a lot of options for her as a mare.
“I think we’ll definitely try her over that distance, but that’ll be a next year job.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
