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Te Aroha trainer to unlock talent at Waverley
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • July 3rd, 2026 11:53 am
Our Time will resume at Waverley on Saturday | Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Te Aroha trainer Peter Lock will head to Waverley on Saturday with a strong hand, with several of his stable’s topliners stepping out at the South Taranaki meeting.
Exciting gelding Our Time will be one of those representatives and Lock is looking forward to seeing the son of Time Test resume following a 16-month layoff.
Our Time had shown plenty of promise for Lock, winning two and placing in two of his six starts, including a runner-up effort in last year’s $350,000 Karapiro Classic (1600m), before he was sidelined with a tendon injury.
The five-year-old gelding has had two trials this preparation and Lock expects him to take plenty of improvement from his first-up outing in the PJ & DL Amon Contracting (1200m).
“He has been off the scene for 12 months, he had a tendon issue, and I think he is a very good horse if we can keep him right,” Lock said.
“This is going to be short of his best distance, a mile to 2000m is his go, but I think he will be hitting the line very hard.
“Waverley is always a very good track and I think it will be a nice starting point for him. The trip away will tighten him up and we can get him up to a mile next start hopefully.
“We are just taking him day-by-day, but I am very happy with him, he is a very exciting horse.”
Lock has plenty of time for four-year-old mare Jungle Love, who has been knocking on the door with her two runner-up results this preparation, and Lock is confident she can go one better in the Bruce Clifton Builder (1650m).
“She is a very weak and immature horse and that is why we have taken our time with her,” Lock said. “She is a pretty highly strung girl and we just space her races.
“She is a very talented mare and this looks like a nice race for her, with a nice draw (7), and the track should be right up her alley.
“Hopefully she can win this to get her rating points up a bit to get into some nice races that are coming up.”
Stablemate Pick Of The Litter will be seeking to make it back-to-back wins in the Hill Street Green (2200m) after winning over the same distance at Te Aroha last month.
“She has been wanting to get over a bit of ground for a while,” Lock said. “She had a good break and her last couple of runs have been really encouraging, and she should go a really bold race down there. We are really happy with her.”
See You In Beijing has developed a good record, winning one and runner-up in another of his three starts to date, and he will resume in the Ultrascan – Mike O’Keefe (1200m).
“He is a horse with a tonne of ability,” Lock said. “His size lets him down a little bit, he is not that big, but he has got the heart the size of a lion.
“He should go a bold race, he has got a nice draw and a good jockey. Hopefully he does go well fresh.”
Rounding out his quintet of representatives at Waverley will be No More Pennies in the Eltham Vet Services – Jim Robins (1650m), and Lock is hoping the gelding can add to what could be a lucrative couple of days for co-breeder and part-owner Franco Dal Vecchio, who also races stablemate Vittorio Veneto at Awapuni’s synthetic meeting today.
“Me and a longtime and close friend own and bred this fella,” Lock said. “He has been knocking on the door. Hopefully it is going to be a great weekend for him (Dal Vecchio) because Vittorio Veneto races on Friday that him and I own as well. I have got my fingers crossed for him that it turns out to be a nice weekend.”
On Sunday, the Te Aroha horseman will line-up one horse at his home meeting, with Reggae Man set to make his debut in the Agplus Te Aroha 1150.
“He ran second in a trial and then went shin sore and had a big layoff,” Lock said. “He trialled again at Avondale the other day and went really super.
“A lot of local people from Te Aroha have got a share in him, it would be nice for him to kick off with a good run on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Lock is offering his former classy mare Debit for sale in New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus, which went live today on plus.gavelhouse.com.
Peter Lock is offering his former classy mare Debit for sale on Gavelhouse.com | Photo: Supplied
At one point, the daughter of Darci Brahma was one of the most promising racehorses in the country, winning four races on end, and she was tipped to go to the highest level.
However, she has had a few issues over the last couple of years and has failed to reach her potential, which has been very frustrating for Lock, who made the decision to retire her last month on vet’s advice.
“It has been a very frustrating time, she is a mare with enormous amount of ability and talent,” Lock said.
“She has had little issues with her knees and the vet said it could chip at any time, and I don’t want to take the risk of her getting hurt, so I have decided to retire her. She has been a great mare and I don’t want to see her or anyone get hurt. It is gut wrenching, but the welfare of the horse and safety comes first.
“She had two trials recently and she won them so convincingly. I think this campaign she had come up bigger, stronger and better than I have ever had her and I think we would have got black-type if not a Group race with her, but it wasn’t to be.
“One of the best horses I have ever trained, and we didn’t see the best of him, was Hiflyer. He pulled a ligament and I think she is right up there with him. I think she is one of the most talented mares I have raced, and I have had some nice ones.
“Someone who is going to buy her is going to end up with a very good broodmare that is going to go under the radar because the pedigree is outstanding it’s just she hasn’t got the black-type on the board.
“It is just a big shame that she didn’t get black-type last time in because if she had she would be worth a lot of money.
“Fingers-crossed whoever buys her puts her to a nice stallion, and I think they will be rewarded.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
