Te Rapa‘s Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) has been a springboard to Group One glory for five recent winners of the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and the connections of the undefeated Crocetti are hoping for more of the same.
Crocetti takes a perfect four-from-four record into Saturday’s $150,000 Sarten, which is his last dress rehearsal ahead of the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 11.
Katie Lee (2009), Sacred Falls (2012) and Ugo Foscolo (2016) all won the Sarten in their final start before winning the Guineas, while Turn Me Loose (2014) and Madison County (2018) placed at Te Rapa before triumphing in Christchurch.
Online betting sites rate Crocetti a -166.67 favourite for Saturday’s Sarten, and he also dominates the fixed-odds market for the 2000 Guineas with a current quote of -111.11.
An easy winner of his only start as a two-year-old, Crocetti has made a huge impression in his three spring starts in the hands of jockey Warren Kennedy, who will be aboard again on Saturday.
The Zacinto gelding kicked off his campaign with two wins at Ruakaka by a combined margin of nine lengths, including the Group 3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on August 19.
He had a first look around the course for Saturday’s Sarten at Te Rapa on September 29. Despite being far from comfortable in the Heavy 9 conditions and being held up in the home straight, he produced an irresistible surge to win going away, beating Impendabelle and To Catch A Thief by a length and three quarters.
“He probably didn’t love the heavy ground at Te Rapa last time, but having the first use of the track in the opening race of the day probably helped him get through it a little bit better,” said Danny Walker, who trains Crocetti in partnership with Arron Tata. “He got the job done really nicely in the end.
“I think everything’s gone to plan with him through the few weeks since that race. He seems to be coming along well and doing everything right.
“I don’t see any problem with the step up to 1400m on Saturday, and hopefully this race will top things off in terms of his preparation for the Guineas in Christchurch next month.”