Guineas hope set to do Mum proud again

Midnight Delight didn’t reach the heights expected of her by Waverley horseman Bill Thurlow on the track, but she’s proving her worth as a broodmare for the family.

The daughter of Captain Rio is the dam of Mister Fletcher, a son of Almanzor who has won two of his six starts, and his half-brother Landman will get an early crack at a black type when he runs in Saturday’s Listed HS Dyke Wanganui Guineas (1200m).

Midnight Delight was offered as a weanling at Karaka by Ancroft Stud and sold to agent Phill Cataldo on behalf of Thurlow, who prepared her to place in her first two appearances.

“I sent her to Chris Waller and she won a race at Newcastle and a placing or two in the city, but she lost her way a bit over there, which can happen,” he said.

“We thought she was going to be pretty good and it didn’t work out, so we brought her home and put her to stud.

“She’s doing a good job and it’s turned out to be a pretty good family.”

Midnight Delight is a half-sister to the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) winner and Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) placegetter Underthemoonlight, whose daughter Romancing The Stone triumphed in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m).

By Hello Youmzain, Landman impressed at the trials before he overcame heavy going at Woodville earlier this month to make a winning debut.

“He’s a really nice horse and was very good the other day, he has improved off that and hopefully we get a better track,” said Thurlow, who trains in partnership with Sam O’Malley.

“We’ve just had to keep him up to the mark and he’s a happy horse, so we’ll get more of a line of him. Jonathan (Riddell) will ride him again.”

Landline’s long-term aim is the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), but his pathway to Riccarton hasn’t been made easy with a lack of suitable age group events in the Central Districts.

“We’ll take it race by race after the weekend, we probably won’t go up (to Te Rapa) for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr.2, 1400m),” Thurlow said.

“We’re looking at Christchurch with him, and to be honest we haven’t mapped out anything after Saturday.

“It’s very difficult unless we do a lot of travelling, which we have to be very careful about with a young horse.”

The stable is also keen on the chances of Crunchie Boy (Wanganui Chronicle Handicap, 1340m) and Our Lady Brooke (Tribute To Mr Racing Ian Boyland Handicap, 2040m).

“Both of them are in good form with good riders and they’ve worked well since their last starts,” Thurlow said.

To be partnered by Masa Hashizume, Crunchie Boy was a bold second when resuming at Woodville following an eight-month break.

Michael McNab has been booked for Our Lady Brooke, who was successful at Hawera last month and has finished runner-up in two subsequent appearances.