Hastings trainer John Bary is hopeful of more Group 1 successes as he heads to Melbourne for Autumn Carnival with three year old filly Recite and the well performed four year old Survived.
Survived ran 2nd to Hawkspur, above, in the Rough Habit Plate at Eagle Farm during the Brisbane Winter Carnival. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Darci Brahma filly Recite scored her second win at Group 1 level last Saturday at Trentham when she beat stable mate Franzac in the NZ$240,000 Ocean Park Levin Classic (1600m) and Bary will nominate her for the Group 1 $500,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 1.
While Bary will nominate Survived for the Group 1 $1m Darley Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington the following week with nominations for both races closing today with the Victoria Racing Club.
“Nominations for the Australian Guineas close tomorrow (Tuesday) and we’ll be nominating her for that, along with the other horse Survived for the Aussie Cup,” Bary told Melbourne’s RSN Radio yesterday.
“Whether she (Recite) makes it there or makes it to Sydney, I’m not too sure, but we’ll just gauge it on how she’s going and go from there.”
Bary is working out a final Autumn Carnival plan and a Sydney campaign could also be on the cards for Recite who also tasted Group 1 success in winning the NZ$225,000 The Oaks Stud Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on March 30 last year.
Survived is also a Group 1 winner for Bary and beat Full Of Spirit and Final Touch in last year’s NZ$200,000 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Hawke’s Bay, Hastings on August 31 at his first run back after a brief Brisbane Winter Carnival campaign.
The then three year old ran second to Hawkspur in the Group 3 $125,000 Mittys Rough Habit Plate (2100m) at Eagle Farm on May 11 then finished eighth to Hawkspur again in the Group 1 $500,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 8.
Survived was only beaten one and three quarter lengths last start when eighth to Historian in the Group 1 NZ$200,000 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on December 26 and is due to run again in the Group 1 NZ$200,000 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.
“It’s a handicap race which is not ideal. He’s lumping 59 (kg) topweight and is giving the bottom ones seven kilos,” Bary said.
Bary then plans to step Survived up to weight for age company for the Group 1 NZ$200,000 Darci Brahma International Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on February 8.
“But we’ve got our eyes on the race two weeks after that, the Darci Brahma International which is at weight-for-age over 2000 (metres),” he added.
Bary is confident that Survived is going well enough to be in the finish of both races and if that is the case he will be heading to Melbourne for the Australian Cup.
“If he does that and then he wins his next start, in my mind he’s good enough to come and have a run at the Aussie Cup,” Bary said.
Bary is no stranger to Australian racing and from three trips over the Tasman with his multiple Group 1 winner Jimmy Choux was able to win the 2011 Group 1 $500,000 Flinders Lane Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill in the Autumn and then return in the Spring to run second to Pinker Pinker in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
