Hard act to follow for Shuka at Trentham

Shuka has a hard act to follow in the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.

The seven-year-old is unbeaten at Trentham, with his three previous starts producing two Group One wins and a Group Two victory, though the first and the third wins were almost four years apart.

Shuka made his first appearance at Trentham as a two-year-old, in January 2011, when he won the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes.

He did not return to the track till December 2013, when he won the weight-for-age Captain Cook Stakes and he repeated the Captain Cook victory last year.

He has also raced well in top weight-for-age company over a middle distance but has remained competitive over 1600m.

In addition to his Captain Cook double, he has been runner-up in the Coupland’s Mile at Riccarton and finished a close fifth, beaten less than a length, with 59.5kg in the 2014 Easter Handicap at Ellerslie.

His spring programme was disrupted when the original Windsor Park meeting, at Hastings in September, was abandoned.

As a result, there will be a six-week gap between his fresh-up run, over 1200m at Ruakaka, and Saturday’s assignment but trainer Peter Williams expects the horse to run well.

“We are happy with him,” Williams said. “He galloped between races at Avondale last week and Matt [rider Matt Cameron] felt the horse worked really well.

“He’s got old bones now but has come through the gallop in good order.”

If he earns a stake on Saturday, Shuka will take his earnings past $700,000, an impressive return for a horse who has done all his racing in New Zealand.

He is scheduled to return to Trentham in December to attempt a Captain Cook hat-trick.

“That’s his main target,” Williams said.

Williams trains in partnership with his wife, Dawn, and Paul Richards, and, like many northern stables, has had a slow start to the season, with just 21 runners in the first three months.

“The weather has held us up but some of the better ones are coming out now,” Williams said.

Promising mare Ultraviolet will accompany Shuka to Trentham and clashes with The Bold One when she resumes in the rating 85 1200m.

“She has had a few little issues but has shown a lot in a short time,” Williams said.

“She trialled well and should go well fresh.”