A
black type plan for Calligraphy was confirmed with her latest victory at
Tauranga while stablemate Contraband may also be chasing higher honours
following his debut success, both horses with siblings headed for Karaka.
Calligraphy was a dominant winner of Tuesday's New World Summer Cup (1400m) to
give trainer Ross McCarroll the necessary encouragement to lift his sights with
the Perfectly Ready mare.
"That was a really good win and I'll look at a stakes race now, maybe the one
at Tauherenikau and give her one more run before that," the Cambridge trainer
said.
"She's very honest and talented and probably needs a bit of cut in the ground."
The central districts race McCarroll is keen on is the Listed Wairarapa
Breeders' Stakes (1600m) on February 6.
Calligraphy has now won five of her 14 starts and her Tauranga victory came off
the back of a first-up fifth at Ellerslie, a contest won by the subsequent
Dunstan Feeds 1500m Championship Final winner Livin' On A Prayer.
Calligraphy sat close to the pace on Tuesday and lengthened stride in the
straight for rider Sam Weatherley to easily account for Elusive Meteor and Our
King Sway.
A yearling half-sister (Lot 802) by Dalghar will feature in Brighthill Farm's
Book 2 draft at Karaka next month.
McCarroll completed a double when Teofilo's son Contraband won the Rob Pinny
Ray White Commercial 1300m in a driving finish under jockey Jason Waddell.
"I really rate this horse," he said. "I paid up for the Derby with him today,
but whether he's got the brain for it just yet I don't know, he's got the
ability."
Hallmark Stud will offer a yearling half-brother (Lot 250) by Super Easy to
Contraband at the Book 1 Sale on January 28. – NZ Racing Desk.