Promising mare Sleeping Beauty enhanced her burgeoning reputation when she strolled to victory at Ellerslie.

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott trained five-year-old completed a hat-trick of victories as she registered her fourth win from just nine starts in the Swiss Belsuites 1200.

Sleeping Beauty Photo: Kirstin Ledington (Trish Dunell Photography)

Sent out a warm favourite against her six rating 75 rivals, the Rip Van Winkle mare never looked in danger of defeat as she assumed control early in the run home after stalking the speed set by the free-going Rich Billie Marsh. Rider Sam Weatherley shot the mare clear as she dominated the chasing pack in the run home, easing down in the last 100 metres to register a comfortable six length victory on the testing Heavy 11 rated surface.

“She is in a purple patch of form and couldn’t have gone any better,” Weatherley reported after the race.

“She just loves these wet tracks and keeps improving every time.”

Weatherley was also of the opinion that the mare wouldn’t be out of place in better company as her campaign continues.

“I do think there are bigger and better things to come with her,” he said.

“I think she has a decent chance of getting some black type, maybe in a race like the weight-for-age 1200 metre race at Rotorua if she could make the field.

“She is just flying.”

Weatherley was referring to the Gr. 3 Lion Red Plate that will be run at Arawa Park on 21 October as the feature event on the day. – NZ Racing Desk 

Summer Passage will make his next Australian appearance in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on October 1.

“After that we will make the decision as to whether he goes to the Caulfield Guineas or the Coolmore,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains the Group One winner with Andrew Scott.

Summer Passage finished a close eighth in Saturday’s Gr.2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.

“The run was a lot better than it looked,” O’Sullivan said. “He was a bit lost down the straight and Mark Zahra had to take a hold of him when that other horse fell.

“He’s come through the race very well and he will improve with it.”

Group Three winner Charles Road will have his next start in Sunday’s Listed Haunui Farm Karaka Classic (1600m).

“Whether he gets to the Livamol Classic we’ll see, but he needs to run this weekend even if the track’s heavy,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains at Matamata with Andrew Scott.

Charles Road won twice last season, including a victory in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2000m) and was runner-up in both the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and in the Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m).

The direction of Summer Passage’s spring campaign will become clearer after Saturday’s Gr.2 Danehill Stakes at Flemington.

The leading New Zealand colt will make his three-year-old debut in the 1200 metre event, in which he will be ridden by Mark Zahra.

Summer Passage Photo: Trish Dunell Photography

“We’ll wait and see what happens, they could be a bit too sharp for him,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains Summer Passage with Andrew Scott. “He’s $12 in the latest market, which gives an indication of the calibre of the field.

“He’s much more relaxed this time and we’ve got two options with him – we can stick to the short trip and go forward to the Coolmore, but if they are a little too fast then we have nominated him for the Caulfield Guineas.

“We’ll sit down after Saturday and make a decision about which way we go.”

Summer Passage won last season’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie to earn the son of Snitzel a trip to Sydney. He finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick and that venture has stood him in good stead.

“He’s a pretty seasoned traveller now,” O’Sullivan said. “He went over late on Saturday night and he’s fine, he just left a bit of his feed.

“It’s a little bit of unknown territory for us as we haven’t travelled a horse to Australia to run fresh-up in the past.

“We’ve done what we can with the wet tracks here. He’s had a couple of quiet trials and he’s done all he’s been asked to do, he trialled okay without being sensational.

“He looks good and there is no doubt there will be natural improvement to come, but Andrew and I both feel he’s forward enough to go a really nice race.” – NZ Racing Desk.

2017 NEW ZEALAND THOROUGHBRED HORSE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Charles Road on track for Hastings 

Classy galloper Charles Road remains on track for the Livamol Classic.

Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are still hungry for another piece of the Hawke’s Bay pie.

The Matamata trainers have excused Charles Road his below-par effort when resuming at Ruakaka last week, and the four-year-old remains in the mix for a crack at the Gr. 1 Livamol Classic on October 7.

The stable won the Hastings feature last year with the now-retired Willie Cazals, who placed in the Listed Karaka Classic at Pukekohe in his final lead-up and they will follow the same path with Charles Road.

“That’s still the plan and he’s a natural athlete, a clean-winded horse,” Scott said. “We’ve turned the page on the other day. We want to get him on some true ground and hopefully he can bounce back.”

Charles Road won the Gr. 3 Manawatu Classic last season and he was spelled after finishing runner-up in the Gr. 2 Championship Stakes. He resumed last Saturday, but beat only one of his Rating 85 rivals home.

“We’ve taken blood tests from him and he’s fine,” Scott said. “He ran well below what we had hoped and he got pretty stirred up before the start.

“Some horses go to Ruakaka and don’t handle the ground with the sand getting kicked back and they can switch off. His trial and his work told us he would run well, but every horse is entitled to a bad day.”

Stablemate Princess Rihanna is also bound for the Hastings carnival with the Gr. 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes on September 23 her first three-year-old target.

“She trialled really well at Te Teko the other day,” Scott said. “She’s got very good two-year-old form, so she’s our leading light.”

Princess Rhianna won one of her five starts last season and collected fourth placings in the Gr. 1 Sistema Stakes, the Gr. 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes, the Gr. 3 Eclipse Stakes and the Karaka Million.

Group One spring contender Summer Passage continues to please his trainers ahead of his Melbourne campaign.

“The way he worked yesterday gave us the confidence that he can go over there and perform very well,” said Andrew Scott, who trains the Snitzel colt with Lance O’Sullivan.

“He will fly over early next Sunday morning and then run in the Danehill Stakes the following Saturday.”

Summer Passage won last season’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick.

His major spring target is the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on November 4.

Sam Weatherley was dominant in the apprentice jockey ranks in the 2016-17 season, securing the premiership in his first full season of riding.

The Matamata 18-year-old rode 67 winners, 19 more than his closest rival Jacob Lowry, to take out his first title and attain his season’s target in the process.

Sam Weatherley and Gentil Tonton Photo: Trish Dunell

“I set a goal to win at least 60 races this season and whatever came after that was a bonus,” he said.

“There was no real intention of winning the apprentices’ premiership until about six months into the season when I really had a good chance to do it.

“I’ve really only been going for 13-14 months so it is something I never thought would happen this season, but I couldn’t be happier.”

Apprenticed to former champion jockey Lance O’Sullivan, Weatherley credits a lot of his development to his master, along with his father Darryn and his army of other supporters.

“Having Lance as my boss has been a huge help in my riding career as well as Dad who was a jockey, he’s a big help as well,” he said.

“I’ve got a good manager too in Mark Claydon, he does a lot for me and has booked a lot of rides.

“I have had some great support this year, obviously from Lance and Andrew (Scott) as well as Shaun Ritchie, Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs and I’ve had a lot of luck with Ross McCarroll.

“Maryanne and George Simon have also been big supporters, it has been a great season.”

A trio of winners at Rotorua on Saturday, including his first stakes victory aboard Gentil Tonton in the Listed Taumarunui Gold Cup, was the highlight of the young rider’s season.

Weatherley finished in the top ten on the jockeys’ premiership and has set loftier targets for next season.

“I just want to keep riding winners. It is going to get a lot harder, I’ve only got about 20 more wins before I lose my one kilo claim.

“I’d like to take the (apprentice) title out again, but also I’d like to set myself a goal of getting into the top five (jockeys’ premiership) overall and reach 80 wins next season.” – NZ Racing Desk.

Surgery has worked wonders for the rising four-year-old Cha Siu Bao.

“He was gelded after the Derby and we gave him a three-month spell,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains the son of Smart Missile with Andrew Scott.

“He’s back and done a few weeks’ work. He looks great, he’s a completely different horse.”

The winner of two of his 10 starts and fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, Cha Siu Bao hasn’t raced since the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby when he turned on a rodeo performance out of the gates.

A slight change of plan will see the Group One winner Summer Passage make a domestic appearance next month ahead of his Melbourne spring carnival campaign.

“We will be giving him a trial at Te Teko and then he’ll go to Australia after that and have a trial there before he kicks off,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott.

Successful in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes and runner-up in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick, the colt is likely to resume in the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes, a race won last year by the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Saracino, over 1200 metres on September 16.

Summer Passage’s major target is the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on November 4.

Top New Zealand colt Summer Passage is making excellent progress toward a second trip across the Tasman.

The Hong Kong-owned son of Snitzel has been back in work with trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott since early May with plans for an early departure to Melbourne.

Summer Passage Photo: Trish Dunell Photography

“We honestly couldn’t be happier with the horse,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s good in the coat and condition-wise as well, he’s looking great.”

Summer Passage, who travelled to Sydney in the autumn off the back of his Gr.1 Sistema Stakes victory at Ellerslie to finish runner-up in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick, is unlikely to make a public domestic appearance before he heads to Australia.

“He’s not that far off trialling and, at this stage, that’s likely to be at Flemington on August 27,” O’Sullivan said.

“Our preference is to go early and get him on the good tracks as soon as possible.”

Summer Passage is pencilled in to resume in the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes, a race won last year by the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Saracino, over 1200 metres on September 16.

“Our main aim will be the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes so we want him to have some practice down the straight at Flemington before that,” O’Sullivan said.

The 1200 metre event has historically launched a number of successful stud careers, including in more recent years Northern Meteor, Sepoy, Zoustar and Brazen Beau and Summer Passage’s connections are hoping his name will be added to that list.

“He’s a New Zealand stallion at the moment and I guess the next step is to make him a serious Australian stallion,” O’Sullivan said. – NZ Racing Desk.

Talented three-year-old Sweet Leader has undergone a second wind operation.

“It’s a real shame because he’s obviously such a talented horse,” co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan said. “We’ll wait and see how he does, but he could still be a Railway Stakes horse.”

Sweet Leader has won three of his five starts, including an impressive last-start victory in the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes.

Meanwhile, stablemate Cha Siu Bao has been gelded since last racing.

“I’ve never seen a horse put on so much weight after that – he’s probably carrying 40kg more.”

A change of stable is imminent for the Group One winner Sound Proposition.

The Savabeel five-year-old made his final appearance from the Matamata stable of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott when he was unplaced in his Australian debut in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup, in which he was tripped up by the heavy going.

Sound Proposition Photo: Trish Dunell

The race was won by Sense Of Occasion, who is prepared at Newcastle by Kris Lees – the new trainer of Sound Proposition.

“We’ve been told that’s what is happening and we can’t blame the owners for that,” O’Sullivan said.

“It’s just one of those things, part of the job, and with a good horse there are more opportunities for them overseas.

“He likes the good tracks and there isn’t much around at home for him. I don’t think he’s a Hawke’s Bay horse, he’s struggled going left-handed in the past.”

Sound Proposition has won four of his 17 starts, including the Easter Stakes in 2016 when it was a Group One contest.

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan has revealed that their Gr.1 Sistema Stakes winner and Gr.1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes runner-up Summer Passage is unlikely to race in New Zealand again this year.

“We’ve got a Group One with him here and we can only add value by winning one in Australia,” he said.

“He may not even trial here, we’ll probably take off early with him and the main target is likely to be the Coolmore Stud Stakes.”

The Group One three-year-old sprint will be run at Flemington on November 4. – NZ Racing Desk.

Opie Bosson narrowly missed Group One success in Queensland last Saturday, but he gets a further opportunity this weekend.

Bosson was beaten a half-length by Redzel on the Chris Waller-trained Counterattack in the Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 then a race later won the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate on Shocking Luck for Matamata trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards.

Sound Proposition Photo: Trish Dunell

This weekend he will combine with another Matamata duo, Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, when riding Sound Proposition in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m).

It will be Bosson’s first ride on Sound Proposition, whose four wins include the Gr.1 Manco Easter Stakes at Ellerslie last year with Michael Coleman in the saddle.

Sound Proposition was among the entries for last Saturday’s Gr.3 Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben, but his trainers elected to bypass the feature and concentrate on the Doomben Cup.

“As it turned out he was going to get 58 kilos and the weather was not the greatest,” Scott said. “We felt it was better to sit back and wait for the Doomben Cup. He’s still a wee way down the order, but hopefully he’ll get in.”

Sound Proposition has had just two starts since a setback in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

“He had that heart fibrillation on Boxing Day and has had an interrupted campaign in New Zealand this season,” Scott said. “He seems fine now and has settled in well in Brisbane.”

Sound Proposition’s two starts this year have resulted in a third in the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes behind Lizzie L’Amour at Ellerslie on March 16 then a fifth to Seventh Up in the Easter Stakes.

“We’re not sure what we’ll do with him after Saturday,” Scott said. “This is his main goal.” - NZ Racing Desk

Group One winner Summer Passage is back in light work being prepared for another Australian trip.

“He came back into work last week,” co-trainer Andrew Scott said. “He’s done well and will have a long, slow build-up.

“We’re looking to campaign him in Melbourne in the spring.”

Summer Passage has looked exciting in his four starts, which have resulted in two wins and two seconds. His first win came in the Listed Reid & Harrison Slipper at Matamata before taking the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie.

Scott and training partner, Lance O’Sullivan, then switched their attention to Sydney with the son of Snitzel and Summer Passage finished a gallant second to Invader in the Gr.1 Sires Produce Stakes at Randwick on April 1

Group One winner Sound Proposition is on the trail of a Queensland winter carnival feature.

“The owners are keen to have a crack at the Doomben Cup first-up,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott.

Sound Proposition Photo: Trish Dunell

“It’s probably the toughest one, but if for any reason he didn’t measure up then he can always go back to handicaps.”

The Gr.1 Doomben Cup will be run under weight-for-age conditions over 2000 metres on May 20.

Sound Proposition finished fifth last time out in the Gr.2 Easter Stakes, a race he won 12 months ago when it carried Group One status.

“It was a very good run and he carried two kilos more than anything that finished in front of him,” O’Sullivan said.

The Savabeel gelding had previously run third in the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes behind Lizzie L’Amour and Benzini.

“Through nobody’s fault, he was going backwards between the 800 and 600 when he should have been going forwards so he could have made it interesting with a bit more luck,” O’Sullivan said.

“He’s maturing now, he’s always been a very weak racehorse.”

Testament to Sound Proposition’s talent was his third placing in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby behind Mongolian Khan and Volkstok’n’barrell.

Meanwhile, two of the stable’s other leading lights this season are enjoying time out.

The Gr.1 Sistema Stakes winner Summer Passage came home to the paddock after his runner-up finish in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick and Charles Road has also been turned out.

“He’s spelling, but he won’t be out for too long and we’ll have him back to get ready for Melbourne in the spring,” O’Sullivan said.

Charles Road won the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic last month before he finished second in the Gr.2 Championship Stakes at Ellerslie. – NZ Racing Desk.

Trish Dunell

Ears pricked, Sweet Leader cruises to victory in the Cambridge Breeders Stakes giving jockey Craig Grylls a notable black-type double.

Victory in the Group III Cambridge Breeders Stakes Stakes (1200) was a bonus for popular jockey Craig Grylls.

The hardworking hoop had won the Group II Travis Stakes aboard Mime earlier on the Cambridge Jockey Club's programme at Te Rapa and made it a black-type double with another patient ride.

He waited for the gaps to appear on Mime and did the same on Sweet Leader trained at Matamata by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott.

Grylls got the big thumbs up from former legendary jockey, O'Sullivan.

​"It was a good ride," O'Sullivan said. "It was pretty much like his ride on Mime - he showed patience."

Grylls was his usual humble self, thankful to be given the opportunity to ride the talented gallopers.

"I was happy to get the call to ride Mime and I'm always happy to ride for Lance and Andrew," he said.

The win aboard Sweet Leader in the light, misty rain wasn't without it's challenges.

"My goggles fogged up, so I got rid of them and the horse was going keenly but he was strong when the runs came," he said.

Sweet Leader was something of a step into the unknown for his astute trainers at his first start since undergoing an operation in an attempt to rectify a wind problem.

While all the outwardly signs were positive, O'Sullivan said a race was always going to be the true test.

"The operation went well, but you never really know with these things until they are put under the pressure of a race - it looks like the operation worked."

The trainers now have a problem - where to next?

"We sort of don't know where to from here," O'Sullivan said. "We'll have a talk to his owners [in Hong Kong where O'Sullivan heads on Sunday] and decide what's next."

Sweet Leader had won twice before his wind problem arose, and has now won three times from five starts.

Honey Rider ran second three-quarters of a length behind the winner with Flamingo third.