Track speed, pace and position – A Group 1 card where Group 1 riding will be to the fore.

Friday, 6 September 2024 by Jason Tan

Warren Kennedy celebrates Crocetti's Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld NZ 51st 2000 Guineas (1600m) victory. Photo: Race Images South

Track speed, pace and position – A Group 1 card where Group 1 riding will be to the fore.

Whilst much of New Zealand has experienced a wet winter that has left their turf tracks rated “slow” and “heavy”, Hastings in the Hawke’s Bay has shown again that their climate can buck the trend.

For the first of three days that make up the Spring Carnival, the track will be rated “good”, likely improving from a “good 4” to a “good 3”. The quicker nature of the turf is what punters want to see, but in racing when track speed is faster, pace and position become even more important for deciding outcomes.

What can we expect on a Premiere Day from the surface? With the inside 4-metres of the track being unraced on since February, it’ll probably favour horses running within that strip from the rail, with the fence being the best of all places to be given it’s the shortest way home!

They’ll run a lot faster than they have been on the turf around NZ the last few months and that’s when the class of the thoroughbred and its rider really shine. Positivity and decisiveness in the saddle will be key.

The HorseTorque speed ratings are an invaluable tool for helping ascertain a horse’s ability, but on these big days when the training teams have left no stone unturned with their preparations, it’s the jockeys that will make the difference between winning and losing. Knowing a track pattern, your mounts abilities and where to position it best is the toughest of tasks, and whilst all who compete on Saturday are competent, there are only a few who stand-up as relative giants amongst their peers.

Opie Bosson heads the list as the best “gun for hire”, with Warren Kennedy a champion rider of two countries close behind. The two most “in-form” hoops of the fledgeling 2024/25 season are Craig Grylls and Sam Spratt. The four of these people hold the keys to some of the better-looking bets on the Hastings card.

HorseTorque NZ - Key Runners:

Hastings

Race 5:            1 MOVE TO STRIKE (rated price $1.70)

Race 7:            4 ALABAMA LASS (rated price $1.70)

Race 9:            4 CROCETTI (rated price ($2.70)

                         6 BONNY LASS (rated price $3.60)

                        3 SACRED SATONO (rated price $9.30)

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