Pier to launch Australian spring preparation
An Australian winter spell has agreed with Group One winner Pier, who is set to kick-off his spring preparation in the Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The six-year-old son of Proisir performed with distinction in Brisbane earlier this year, placing in the Gr.3 BRC Sprint (1350m) before winning the Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m), and enjoyed some downtime in the warmer climes of Queensland.
Trainers Darryn and Briar Weatherley have been pleased with the way he has returned, with the gelding undertaking his early preparation in Queensland before joining Darryn Weatherley in Sydney where he finished runner-up in his 790m trial at Warwick Farm last week.
“He spelled and pre-trained up in Brisbane, so he has been over here the whole time,” Darryn Weatherley said.
“He has settled in at Warwick Farm really well, is eating well and working well. He trialled up really well, I am very pleased with him.”
While pleased with his charge ahead of his first-up run, Weatherley said the wet weather in Sydney may hamper his chances this weekend.
“He is looking good and whatever he does on Saturday he will improve on. He will be in need of the run,” he said.
“They have had quite a bit of rain over here so that track is going to be a little bit testing. He handles all types of footing, but it just may be a bit too testing for his fitness.”
Weatherley has some lofty ambitions with Pier this spring, with the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) his next target, and his performance in that race will dictate whether they press on towards the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley next month.
“I am really happy with the was he is,” Weatherley said. “I would just like to see him run a nice race and give us confidence going into the next run, which is the Epsom, which he will be spot on for.
“His form will dictate where he goes. If he runs a battling 12th in the Epsom, you wouldn’t want to be putting him on a float to take on Via Sistina in the Cox Plate. He would have to be pretty competitive in a race like the Epsom to warrant going to Melbourne.”
Meanwhile, back in New Zealand, stablemate Mali Ston will be on trial for an elite-level assignment when he heads to Te Rapa on Sunday to contest the Power Farming – We Keep You Growing 1200.
The Group One performer disappointed when finishing 11th in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at the Hamilton track last month, and Weatherley is hoping for an improved showing from the eight-year-old gelding this weekend.
“He was a little bit disappointing in the Foxbridge Plate at first glance but being that little bit older he probably needed it,” he said.
“We are going back to 1200m, he is probably ready for a 1400m, but if they are getting the rain, a 1200m will be like a 1400m. He has got a lot of weight to carry (62kg) and we have elected to go with a claim with Ashlee Strawbridge (apprentice jockey).
“It would be nice to see him hit the line and tell us that he still wants to be there because I know he certainly has got the ability, but as they get older and whether he is as genuine as he used to be, that is also a bit of a question mark, so I am looking forward to watching him on Sunday.”
Mali Ston holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) later this month, but Weatherley said those plans are reliant on Sunday’s performance.
“It is still in the mix, but for him to go there he will need to win and win impressively,” he said.
On Friday at Matamata, his half-sister Nasha Mala will be out to break through for her maiden win in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1400m).
“She just needs a bit of luck in the running,” Weatherley said. “She has had a couple of hard runs in her last campaign and she probably isn’t blessed with the same ability as Mali Ston, but I think she has got a win in her somewhere.”
