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Gray looking forward to Hawke’s Bay return
Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • May 20th, 2026 5:08 pm
Stephen Gray will have a trio of runners at Hastings on Thursday. Photo: STC
Palmerston North trainer Stephen Gray will support the return to racing at Hastings on Thursday, bringing a team of three across to the venue’s first meeting since September 2024.
Following a slip in the first race on day two of the 2024 Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, a big highlight on the region’s calendar, the course underwent a reconstruction, recambering three of the bends.
The final box was ticked in late April when trials were successfully run at the venue, which Gray attended with a number of his team.
“It was a little bit soft on trial day, but it seemed to hold up really well and the horses went nicely,” he said.
“The track was more than satisfactory, we had two riders there that ride for us regularly in Bruno (Quieroz) and Rohan (Mudhoo) and they said it was good.
“We’re heading there to support Hastings and the facility as we want to see it up and going. Hopefully it all goes well for them, the track hasn’t been raced on in such a long period of time so it should be fresh and ready to go.”
Gray, who trains alongside his father Kevin Gray, has the fancied runner in the opener, with debutant Zetel lining up in the Power Farming 2&3YO Maiden (1400m). The son of Telperion was a trial winner at Foxton last week and the likelihood of a soft surface should pose no issue.
“He’ll like the wet track, he’s shown a bit at the trials and he goes well,” he said.
He would prefer a better surface than the current Heavy 8 for Albarossa, who is coming off a last-start win at Tauherenikau into the Vintech Poverty Bay Turf Club (1200m).
“He was going to be running at Otaki (last Saturday) but he got a bit of an abscess in his foot and I couldn’t get him right in time,” he said. “I would’ve preferred to run on the better track, but I put him in here because the option is there.
“The heavy track isn’t ideal and that’s my only concern for him, otherwise he’s flying - he’s been going really well.”
His trio is rounded out by Super Seth three-year-old Valentino, another having his first start in the Stockies And Carriers 1200 after showing promise in four trial appearances.
“The Super Seth is a really, really nice big horse,” Gray said.
