Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer Richard Collett says Whetu is a testament to how it’s possible progress a horse from the bottom in NSW to a point where he’d be disappointed if a city win isn’t within his grasp.

Trainer Richard Collett (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The five-year-old will chase that city win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday having clawed his way up from beating one horse home in a Class 1 at Goulburn in December 2022 to his narrow defeat in a Benchmark 72 three weeks ago.

Collett said Whetu arrived from New Zealand with just over $6000 in the bank from a maiden win and form that told him there was plenty of work to do.

“He’s a good type of horse, he wasn’t a cheap horse, he was going badly when he left New Zealand and we got his confidence back,’’ Collett said.

“He came in at the right rating, we did a bit of schooling with him but I think the biggest thing was he had everything done in blinkers in New Zealand so we took the blinkers off after his first run.

“That’s the great thing about bringing a horse over from New Zealand out of form, he’s won four races here and $100,000 and he’d won virtually no money before he left.

“He’s got better and he’s got to city grade now.”

Whetu, $5 with TAB on Tuesday, chases that metropolitan breakthrough in the James Squire Handicap (2200m) on the back of a bob of the head second behind Elsie May.

The gelding rises 1kg for his trouble and Collett said with at least a soft track assured he’ll get his chance, and it’ll be up to Jason Collett to time his run right.

“He doesn’t have a massive sprint on him, Jason rides him well and Alysha rides him well,’’ he said.

“He got to them the other day and Jase thought he was home, the other horse cut the corner and we came wide.

“It’s a similar race, a bit further and a bit more weight but he’s in good nick that’s the main thing.

“It relates to the quality of the field where he is in the weights but he keeps improving. He’ll present well and he’s going to get a surface that’s going to help him.

“Jason was a touch surprised how he travelled on the bridle the whole way last start, he’d have liked to see him come off the bit in the mid stages. Hopefully a horse like Tenniel bowls along solidly.”

The Warwick Farm trainer hopes recent recruit Stray can break through for her first win for the stable when she drops in grade to run in a Class 1 & Maiden Plate (1895m) at Newcastle on Saturday.

The mare has won just one from 23 starts and Collett is going to test a couple of theories he has about her in the race.

Whetu runs second at Warwick Far on July 10

“She’s well placed in a set weights race,’’ he said.

“From the first run we gave her over 1400m it looked like a 2000m horse to me but Jason was adamant she won’t stay and he might be right.

“Every run we’ve given her since then she hasn’t quickened so we want to free roll with her a bit on Saturday.”

All the fields, form and replays for Wednesday’s Warwick Farm meeting