Top New Zealand jockey Oppie Bosson will fly in from Singapore to partner Auckland Cup winner Shez Sinsational at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The top class Kiwi mare will line up in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Gold Coast Turf Club A D Hollindale Stakes (1800m) looking to record her first win in Australia after proving herself at the highest level in New Zealand.
Bosson was the regular rider of Shez Sinsational when she visited Queensland last winter, but was unable to secure a win.
The four year old mare returned home to New Plymouth after finishing third to Scarlett Lady in the Group 1 $400,000 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm and second to Shootoff in the Group 1 $500,000 Queensland Derby (2400m) at the same track.
Since then she has won three Group 1 races including the NZ$500,000 Stella Artois Auckland Cup (3200m) at Elllerslie on March 7 before being sent for a short ease up.
Shez Sinsational is also the winner of the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and the Group 1 International Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa in February.
Trainer Allan Sharrock produced Shez Sinsational to score first up over 1400m at Tauranga on April 21 with claiming apprentice Michael McNab steering her to her eighth win from twenty starts.
After Saturday, Sharrock will head towards the Group 1 $500,000 Kirks Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 19, bypassing a trip to Singapore for the Group 1 Singapore International Cup (2000m) at Kranji on May 20.
“I thought about sending her over to Singapore but she would have been in quarantine for too long if we hope to take her to Melbourne for the Cup,” Sharrock said.
“The Melbourne Cup is only an option at this stage as we only lease her.”
Sharrock has ruled his mare out of the Group 2 $300,000 Australian Special Metals Brisbane Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 9 with the thought of taking her home for Group 1 Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings and a possble Melbourne Spring campaign.
“The Brisbane Cup would be a nice race for her but she’s only here for a weight-for-age campaign,” he said.
“Her next run will be in the Doomben Cup then the O’Shea Stakes.”
“The Brisbane Cup would be an ideal distance but I’d prefer to take her home and get ready for the Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings.”
The Kiwi trainer is hoping the weather clears for Saturday after Brisbane copped a soaking last weekend causing the abandonment of the Eagle Farm and Gold Coast meetings.
“I’ve never been to the Gold Coast and I’d rather see her on top of the ground,” he said.
“I just hope this fine weather stays around a little longer and we don’t get the rain that is forecast.:
“She’s done well but she will probably be vulnerable this Saturday although she is a special racehorse.”
