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King Convinced of mare’s ability
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • October 8th, 2026 9:11 am
Promising mare Convinced has joined Benji King's Matamata barn | Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Benji King has welcomed an influx of horses to his Matamata stable over the last few months, and he is excited about several of their prospects, particularly Waikato Stud mare Convinced.
Formerly in the care of the farm’s resident trainer Kris Shailer, the daughter of Super Seth impressed when winning on debut over 1200m at Matamata in January before tackling staunch company when eighth in the Gr.3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and last in the $4 million The NZB Kiwi (1500m), but rebounded with a pleasing runner-up effort behind Chatelle Rose to round out her season.
King was subsequently tapped on the shoulder to see whether he would be interested in overseeing her spring preparation, and he jumped at the opportunity to add her to his burgeoning racing team.
“We have almost doubled (in size), we have got eight more (racehorses) now,” King said. “Our goal is to keep quality high, and we are very lucky to have Convinced. Kris (Shailer) asked me (if I would be interested in training her) and it was an opportunity I jumped at.
“There is no denying that she is a quality mare. We are looking forward to kicking her off and I feel her prep has gone quite smoothly so far, we have worked her out, and she is definitely very fast.”
Convinced made her first public appearance for King when placing in her 1000m trial at Avondale last month before lining up at her local trial meeting on Tuesday, where she took out her 1000m heat.
“It was pleasing to see,” King said. “We went to Avondale where we gave her a quiet trial and yesterday we did ask the question a little bit. I wanted to see where we were at fitness wise and hope for some natural improvement from it.
“She had a really nice blow and she has come through it extremely well, this morning she was bouncing around. I am very pleased with how it all went yesterday.
“We will kick her off in a (rating) 65 1200m in the next couple of weeks and build from there. We will just try and build her rating and then we can map out a bit more of a serious plan.”
King trialled three other horses on Tuesday, and he is particularly excited about the prospects of three-year-old gelding Hiyo Silver, who placed in his 800m heat.
“He is a lovely, progressive horse, and he is going to improve a heck of a lot,” King said. “We will get him up over 1000m at his next trial and then we will look for a race over 1200m.
“He is giving everything we have a bit of a showing at track work. If he can keep going the way we think he can physically, and a little bit mentally, he is going to be pretty exciting.
“He is going to stay for sure. The Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) would be our dream target, without putting too much pressure on. I think he will love firm ground, so coming into this time of year they have got to enjoy that.”
King said Hiyo Silver will likely trial again at Taupo in a fortnight, where he will be joined by stablemate Mid Ocean, who will be on the hunt for black type this season.
“She was meant to trial (on Tuesday), but we just had a little setback with her,” King said. “But she will trial at Taupo. She is coming up as good as she has ever been and we will be trying to get some black type with her.”
King is also preparing a five-strong draft for next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, with breeze ups set to take place at Te Rapa next week.
“We have got a really nice line-up,” King said. “We are prepping them like racehorses and they are lovely.
“We have got a Preferment gelding (lot 108) who I think will be a lovely staying horse, especially this time next year. He is a beautiful-moving horse, and he is coping with a ready to run prep very well.
“We have a couple of Satono Aladdins. The filly (171) is a beautiful mover but might just be a bit of a time sort of type. She has had to do it a bit of the harder way, she has only been doing it between two preps, where the other guy got broken in quite early. She is also doing very well.
“The colt (125) is a nice horse. He is a smaller, stronger type of Satono (Aladdin). He seems to be moving well and is running good times.
“The I Am Immortal (lot 208) is the same. He is a big improver from when we started.
“The Embellish gelding (47) is going really well. He would be a lovely horse for Asia, he copes really well and likes firm ground. He is nice, big and powerful and would be my pick for an Asian type of animal.”
The Ready to Run Sale breeze-ups will take place at Te Rapa Racecourse on October 13 and 14, with the sale to take place at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka Sales complex on November 18 and 19.
