Leading northerner Star Galleria will arrive in Canterbury on Tuesday night to complete the rest of his New Zealand Cup campaign.
The North Island’s best pacer will have his first South Island start on his march towards the second Tuesday in November in the Gr.2 Canterbury Classic over 2600m at Addington on Friday night.
The Steven Reid-trained five-year-old has been excellent in the first two runs of his campaign in small fields over 2200 metres at Alexandra Park.
In the latest of those, on Friday night, Star Galleria scorched home into second behind Northview Hustler in the Spring Cup after getting well out of his ground from a 20-metre handicap.
Reid has had enough of tricky short-course affairs and wants to harden Star Galleria ahead of the New Zealand Cup tilt by having the pacer rough it with South Island’s best horses over longer trips.
“That 2200-metre racing at Auckland with them all racing off marks is tricky and it was a perfect example of that on Friday night.
“I like the idea of a free-for-all with them all off the front.
“I reckon you need to get them down there and race against the horses you are going to race against on cup day.”
Star Galleria heads south in excellent order after his flying finish in the Spring Cup.
“He seems really good; he has come through the run extremely well.
“He licked the feed bowl and ate up and the run does not seem to have worried him, so we are all happy.”
Friday night’s Canterbury Classic sees an enthralling clash of what is clearly the best open class field of the season, so far.
New Zealand Cup favourite Ultimate Machete will step out in the event for the first time this season alongside his All Stars stablemates Eamon Maguire and Dream About Me and her fellow Hannon Memorial place-getters A G’s White Socks and Captain Dolmio.
Meanwhile, champion trotter Monbet is set to make his first public appearance in almost two years at Wednesday’s Rangiora trials.
The Greg and Nina Hope trained seven-year-old has been entered in a 2600m special handicap trot and will face seven rivals.
The trial will see Monbet step on to a racetrack for the first time since he won the Gr.1 Dominion during the 2016 New Zealand Cup Carnival.
Monbet’s rivals include the recently crowned three-year-old trotter of 2017-18, Winterfell.
