Early trip south may pay a classic dividend

Frustration may lead to a Group One celebration for Nigel Tiley on Saturday.

The Pukekohe trainer was forced to head south ahead of time with his gavelhouse.com NZ 1000 Guineas hope Midnight Gossip, who has thrived in her new surroundings.

“I was absolutely stymied by the wet weather so I put her on a plane and sent her down south early,” the Pukekohe trainer said.

The winner of one of her two starts last season, Midnight Gossip made her first appearance for seven months at Riccarton in October when she accounted for her older rivals over 1200 metres.

“I’ve been very happy with her and she is as well as I can get her,” Tiley said. “She had a gallop last Saturday and we’ve been taking her to the beach since.”

Meanwhile, Midnight Gossip’s promising stablemate Royal Mojito will be saved for another day following the decision to bypass Saturday’s Tauranga meeting.

Tiley was keen on a start for the gelding, who was a stylish debut winner on his home track last month, in the Mainfreight Transport Tauranga 3YO before he saw the stakes winner Volpe Veloce in the field.

“I’m not going to take her on – when those good fillies get that sex allowance they get in too well,” he said. “My bloke’s got all summer ahead of him.”