Guineas' Focus for Unbeaten Heroic Valour

The Informant's Richard Edmunds reports:

All roads will lead to Christchurch in the spring for the unbeaten colt Heroic Valour.

The exciting son of Fastnet Rock is making good progress toward a return to racing and is regarded by Te Akau Stables as their leading classic hope for next season.

“He's our number-one horse for the 2000 Guineas,” said Stephen Autridge, who prepares the rising three-year-old with Jamie Richards.

“He's grown and matured and we think he has improved, but he was always going to get better with more time.

“He will trial at Te Teko next Tuesday and first off he will be going down for the Hawke's Bay Guineas.”

The colt was a debut winner at Trentham in January before he claimed the Listed Reid & Harrison Slipper at Matamata and ended his perfect juvenile season with a defeat of the highly-regarded Wyndspelle in the Gr. 1 Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie.

Stablemates Hall Of Fame and Gingernuts could also be Gr. 1 Sothys New Zealand 2000 Guineas-bound after rewarding first preparations. The former finished runner-up on debut to the talented Mihaul at Hastings and then went to Pukekohe Park where he accounted for Gingernuts, who subsequently won at Hawke's Bay in May.

Meanwhile, Sassy ‘N' Smart is likely to open her Gr. 1 Gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas campaign in the Gr. 3 Hawke's Bay Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings on September 17.

She won two of her starts this season, including the Listed Welcome Stakes at Riccarton, and was runner-up in the Gr. 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes.  She was spelled after unplaced Group One runs in the Diamond Stakes and the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes.