Queensland trainer Liam Birchley has high hopes Neptune’s Spear can give him his third Karaka Million victory at Ellerslie despite the colt’s last-start defeat.
Neptune’s Spear travelled from Brisbane to New Zealand in good order and has pleased Birchley since he landed in Auckland.
The colt was a brilliant winner of his first start at Doomben but was then beaten by Stampe as odds-on favourite at Doomben two weeks ago.
“We are here and settled in and there were reasons for his last-start defeat,” Birchley said.
“Like many young colts they can get away from you a bit and he was just a bit new.
“He also jarred up on the hard track and he will be much better suited on the tracks here. Neptune’s Spear is easily qualified for the race so it is all go.”
Birchley has booked local jockey Jonathan Parkes for Neptune’s Spear.
“He is one of the top jockeys here and he knows the track well. So at this stage things are looking OK for Saturday,” he said.
Birchley has won the $1 million Karaka Million, New Zealand’s richest two-year-old race, on two occasions with Sister Havana (2010) and Hardline (2015).
He has had several other runners including Sarge In Charge who was second in 2009.
‘”It has been a good race for us and with a good barrier we can give it a shake again,” Birchley said.
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