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About Time making all right moves ahead of Cup
Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • January 31st, 2025 1:51 pm
Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
In-form mare About Time is giving every indication she can master the ultimate distance of her autumn target.
The daughter of American Pharoah has been set for the Group 2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) on March 8 and will bid to complete a hat-trick of wins along the way when she steps out at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Trained by Lance Noble for breeders Cambridge Stud, the four-year-old will run in the Victoria Racing Club Handicap (2200m) with regular partner Warren Kennedy in the saddle.
They have successfully combined on the course to win prior to Christmas before proving superior on Boxing Day in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m).
“She’s been terrific this prep and she’s ready, she’s drawn wide but it’s not a super strong field and she should be pretty competitive again,” Noble said.
“I think she’ll run the two miles of the Cup, the way she cleared out with the weight (58kg) to win the Dunstan Stayers was encouraging.
“She hit the line strongly and there was a bit of a gap back to third. The next logical step is the Avondale Cup (Gr.3, 2400m) and then into the Auckland Cup.”
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Stablemates Little Stirrer and Terra Mitica will also be in action at Ellerslie on Saturday in the Barfoot & Thompson (1200m) and Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) respectively with Kennedy to ride the pair.
Written Tycoon filly Little Stirrer will be making a fresh start after an unplaced effort in late August in her first appearance for Noble.
“She came back from Victoria after winning a two-year-old race for the Hayes boys, but just didn’t look right in the spring,” he said.
“Some three-year-old fillies just don’t do well and her coat didn’t look great, we gave her a run and it was a bit average.
“We put her out and she’s come back a lot stronger, she’s not overly big so is well-named and I was really happy with her trial last week.”
Meanwhile, the Fulton Family Stakes fits in well with Terra Mitica’s main aim, the Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Kaimai Stakes (2000m) at Matamata on February 15.
“We have tried her beyond 2000m and I don’t think she’s a genuine 2200 or 2400m horse,” Noble said.
“We’ve chosen to target the Kaimai on Matamata Breeders’ Stakes Day and this is an ideal lead-up race for her timing-wise.
“It’s a bit short of her best and has come up quite a strong race, so if she managed to sneak a place it would be a little bit more black type for her.”
Terra Mitica has won four races and finished third in the spring in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (2000m) in blinkers and will have the headgear back on for Saturday.
