Riccarton apprentice Racha Cuneen will have his first ride for the Blatch stable at Wingatui on Saturday.
Cuneen will partner the defending champion Sureasyouwereborn in the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m).
Cuneen is having a good season and his confidence will be high.
The 24-year-old won the Listed Timaru Stakes on Madam Victoria at Ashburton last weekend and handled a testing assignment well when finishing second on Miss Seton Sands in the Gr.1 Telegraph at Trentham last month.
Cuneen also won a stakes race on Miss Seton Sands at Wingatui on Boxing Day and will handle the mare again in the $40,000 open 1200m on Saturday.
He picked up the mount on Sureasyouwereborn after regular rider Sam Wynne became unavailable.
“Sam had been offered another ride and at that stage we weren’t sure that we would start,” said Nikki Blatch, who trains Sureasyouwereborn in partnership with her husband, Barrie.
“She will be a good chance if things go her way but she was on the minimum, at 53kg, last year and has 60kg this time.”
Sureasyouwereborn, who finished a luckless fourth in the New Zealand Cup, was close up when fourth in the Trentham Stakes two starts back, but dropped away in the Wellington Cup.
“She had to do a lot of work early [in the Cup] and then sat parked,” Blatch said.
The Lucky Unicorn mare also has a good record at Wingatui, with three wins and three placings from eight attempts.
