Ryan Mark returns to a favourite stomping ground this weekend as the Group One winner prepares for another crack at elite company racing at Hastings later this month.
Railway Stakes hero Ryan Mark, whose deeds have earned him a Champion Sprinter of the Year nomination, is unbeaten in two starts at Ruakaka and he kicked off his spring campaign at the Northland racetrack last season with a trial win over multiple Group One winner Volkstok'n'barrell.
Taupiri owner-trainer John Morell has opted for Saturday's Harcourts Optimize Group Open as Ryan Mark's starting point for his six-year-old season in preference to tackling the Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa a week later.
"It's a better track up there and he likes it there," Morell explained.
"We tried the Foxbridge last year and it didn't work. It's no good running him on a wet track. Though it's new ground on the inside, it was the same last year and he just didn't cop it [finishing seventh].
"It's just common sense that we go north for the better track, even though he's got 61 1/2 kilos to carry."
While carrying such a big weight doesn't sit comfortably with Morell, he's happy to take his chances at the seaside track, especially after he worked so well on Tuesday at another coastal venue - Raglan.
"He went to the beach on Tuesday and had a run-along there and he went pretty good too," Morell said.
"He's been a bit scratchy in his action, but that's just him. After the race, we'll send him to Raglan for a week with Pim Blair. He loves it out there and she gets on so well with him.
"Out there we've got a straight line to work him on and the beach is as good as it's been. Last year there were a few rocks and ruts but this year it's all filled in and it's more even."
Ryan Mark is fresh-up since his unplaced run in the Gr.1 NRM Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in February but he always races well fresh and Morell believes the three-week gap into the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Hastings - a race in which the galloper finished second to Kawi last year - fits perfectly
