Atacama impressive at the trials

Stakes performed mare Atacama was among the star triallists on her home track this week.

The Cambridge five-year-old took a step closer to a popular target when she won her open 1200 metre heat on Tuesday.

“She’s going to the Breeders’ Stakes at Te Aroha,” trainer Shaune Ritchie said.

“It seems every good mare is heading there so it’s going to be a very, very strong field, but Group Ones aren’t meant to be easy.”

A Listed winner during the last Melbourne spring carnival, Atacama hasn’t raced since she ran third in the Gr.3 Westbury Classic earlier this month.

Former Group One winner Ruud Awakening also pleased with her effort to finish runner-up over 950 metres at Cambridge.

“She’ll head to Hawke’s Bay for an open 1200 metre race on April 4 and there’s a Listed event for her there three weeks’ later,” trainer Stephen Marsh said.

“If she comes up really well we might look at the second tier fillies and mares’ races in Brisbane.”

Lee Somervell was another trainer to leave the trials in a happy frame of mind after his Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile winner Addictive Habit won his 950 metre heat and Celebrity Miss strolled to a 1200 metre success.

Somervell earlier produced the well-bred colt Stradivarius to claim one of the 950 metre juvenile heats. The Stravinsky colt is a brother to his former Gr.1 Railway Stakes winner Fleur de Lune.