Pike pleased with classy mares

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike used Monday’s Te Teko trials to put his Group One competitors Caricature and Treasure on track for a return to racing.

Caricature had her first appearance since finishing unplaced in the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton last April when contesting an open 840m heat and she finished a close second to stakes winner Seraphim.

“She trialled super and I was surprised how forward she is,” Pike said. “She only went over the 840m because I still thought she was a bit big in condition.

“She bounced and travelled really well, which surprised me in a fresh state, and probably pulled up a bit better than I thought.

“We’ll just debate whether we run her fresh-up over 1400m sometime in the next three weeks or give her one more trial.”

Caricature has won once from six starts, but her four placings include a second in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m), a third in the Gr.3 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and a fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).

Pike is also open to possibly running Caricature at Hawke’s Bay.

“Obviously everyone is going to be playing on track conditions over the next month or two, so if Hawke’s Bay comes up well that might be a good option to give her a trip away and a nice race to kick off in,” he said.

Treasure beat Caricature in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth and later competed in Sydney, winding up her campaign when unplaced in the Gr.1 ATC Oaks (2400m) in April.

She finished at the tail end in the 1030m trial on Monday won by Te Akau Shark, but Pike wasn’t disappointed.

“She’s big in condition and just over the 1000m they sprinted off the corner and left her a bit flat-footed,” he said. “But she was very good past the post and one of the last to pull up.

“She’ll take a lot of benefit out of the trial. We’ll just toss up whether we give her one more trial before she resumes, sometime in mid-September.”

Before deciding on a definite programme for Treasure, Pike is awaiting an update from the Australian handicapper.

“We’re just waiting on her rating to come back from Australia,” he said. “She is probably going to be low 70’s so obviously we’ll be just trying to get through the grades heading into the Christmas - New Year period.

“Possibly something like the Dunstan Final over the New Year and maybe into the cups races if she’s going well enough in the autumn.”