ZARAGOZA ON TARGET FOR HAWKESBURY

FRIDAY: December 6, 2024: KEMBLA Grange trainers Rob and Luke Price are looking to Zaragoza to give them a Hawkesbury season breakthrough on Sunday.

The father and son team has the former Godolphin five-year-old well placed in the Fowler Civil Contracting Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1000m), and Keagan Latham rides.

Co-trainer Luke Price bought Zaragoza online for $60,000 in May on behalf of owner Joe Salim, and the Street Boss gelding was placed only once (at Kembla Grange in early August) in his first four starts for his new connections.

With a change of gear (winkers off), Zaragoza has put three good runs together with a Kembla Grange Benchmark 64 Handicap (1000m) breakthrough on November 5 sandwiched between a third on his home track and last start close fourth at Canterbury in a Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) on November 20.

“We’re getting to know the horse better, and have tried a few different things with him,” Luke Price said this morning.

“Zaragoza is racing well, and was just over a length from the winner last time at Canterbury.

“Accredited (runner-up that day) subsequently won easily at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, and the form should hold up.

“Zaragoza goes up 4kg, but he is back against provincial-trained horses.”

The Price boys, with 10 winners (nine of them at the provincials) so far this season, also have stablemate Mr Rock It in Zaragoza’s race, but at this stage he is likely to head to Newcastle on Saturday.

“Mr Rock It drew the outside at Hawkesbury, and has a softer draw at Newcastle,” Price said.

Verbek (Latham) will join Zaragoza at Hawkesbury, tackling the Skinner Earthmoving Conditional Benchmark 68 Handicap (1600m).

“He hasn’t raced for a month and that might be a slight concern, but he’s ready to strike a blow,” Price said.

Another stablemate Monte Braveheart will bypass the Auden Australia Maiden Plate (1600m), instead going to Newcastle on Saturday for a 1500m Maiden Plate, and apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald takes 3kg off the gelding’s allotted 59kg.

Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan takes four runners to his home meeting, with two of them making their debuts and another having only his second start.

Three-year-old fillies Graeci (Jaden Lloyd) and Heron (Jean Van Overmeire) contest the Starr Partners Merrylands, Pemmulwuy & Wentworthville Maiden Plate (1000m), and Visualise (Jay Ford) resumes in The Woodwynd Group Midway Maiden Handicap (1300m).

“It will be good experience for all three,” Ryan said.

Graeci is a daughter of Magnia Grecia, and Heron is by Hellbent, whilst Visualise, a son of So You Think, ran seventh over 1200m at Newcastle on September 3 at his only start to date.

Jay Ford also rides Ryan’s fourth runner Shadow Express in the Clarendon Tavern Class 1 Handicap (1300m).

“He is resuming, and I would have given him a good each-way chance if he had drawn a decent gate,” Ryan said.

“It’s the toughest start to win from at Hawkesbury when you don’t draw well.

“Shadow Express is coming along nicely, and had two nice trials to prepare him for his resumption.”

After 12 meetings so far this season, Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald head the trainers’ premiership with eight wins, ahead of Brad Widdup and Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou (six each).

Jay Ford and Zac Lloyd, with eight wins each, lead the jockeys’ premiership from Jason Collett and Kerrin McEvoy (six each).

. The rail is in the TRUE position, and course manager Kyle Cassim at 8am today posted a “Good 4” rating. A total of 52.5mm of rain has been recorded in the past seven days, but nil in the preceding 24 hours, and 4mm of irrigation was put on the track in the latter period.

The seven-race program begins at 1.45pm.