Photo: Trish Dunell
Promising filly Tevere will step-up to 1400m for the first time at Te Rapa this weekend.
The daughter of Contributer has pleased in her previous two starts over 1200m, culminating in a last start win at Te Rapa last month, and her connections believe she will appreciate the step up in distance on Saturday.
Pam Gerard, who trains Tevere in partnership with Michael Moroney, has been impressed with the three-year-old from the outset and was pleased she was able to break maiden ranks at the second time of asking.
“She has shown promise all along,” Gerard said. “She was very good at the trials, and good right through, but she is a little bit of a hot-headed filly and she has just taken a little while to put it all together.
“We have always known she has had plenty of ability, right from when she went through her ready-to-run prep.
“She showed us raceday (last start) what she had been showing us in her work. She is still a little bit green and I think she is only going to get better once she gets up to 1400m, and I think she can go through the grades.”
Bred and owned by Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham, Tevere continues a strong procession of fillies through the Ballymore Stables operation from the Te Awamutu farm.
That roll of honour includes the likes of Tofane, who went on to win the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) last year and runs in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm this Saturday, and Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) winner and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) placegetter Chicharita.
“We have had a really good success rate with Gordon,” Gerard said. “He puts the horses in front of us that are more than capable of doing the job and he is patient, he gives them the time that they need.
“He certainly knows how to breed a good horse. They have been fillies with a lot of ability, and that just makes our job so much easier.”
Gerard said they will take each race as it comes with Tevere, but they would like to target some black-type races next season with her.
“We will take it one race at a time and get through the grades,” she said. “We would love to have her ready for early spring and over the summer have a go at some black-type, but she is obviously going to need a wee break at some stage.” -NZ Racing Desk
