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Glamour Kiwi mare Volpe Veloce will be in rare company if she wins the $NZ250,000 Berkett Telegraph at Trentham on Saturday.
The Matamata-trained Volpe Veloce, unbeaten from six starts at 1200m, would be just the fourth horse in the past 40 years to complete the Railway Stakes-Telegraph double in the same season.
The Sistema Railway, which she won at Ellerslie on January 1, and the Telegraph have long been established as New Zealand’s premier 1200m events.
It has not been completed since Bawalaksana won both races in 1999. Loader (1996) and Mr Tiz are the only other sprinters to complete the double in the past 40 years.
Mr Tiz made history by achieving the feat twice in 1989 and 1990.Vinaka, Vain Sovereign and Arbre Chene also won both the Railway and the Telegraph over the same period but not in the same season.
The four-year-old Volpe Veloce is trained by Graham Richardson and Gavin Parker and has a career record of 10 wins from 13 starts.She was a decisive winner of the Railway on a slow track and has been equally effective on good or dead ground.
She will carry another 2kg as a result of her Railway win when she comes up against Kawi, who has won seven G1 races.Kawi has had only four starts at 1200m but has won over the distance at Trentham and was G2-placed at 1200m in August. He has won seven races at 1400m and will race in blinkers this weekend.
The Telegraph is New Zealand’s richest open sprint and and including another four G1 winners and four others who have been G1-placed.The field also includes the first four placegetters from this year’s Railway and the first two placegetters from the Stewards at Riccarton Park.
Signify, last year’s winner, will be back to defend his title and the 2015 Telegraph winner Sacred Star isl also in the field.Star South Island galloper Patrick Erin heads the field for the $250,000 Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on Saturday.
Patrick Erin has had nine wins and three placings from 12 starts at 1600m or further.
