Apollo Eleven about to go on another mission
The country’s leading two year old trotter Apollo Eleven (Bold Eagle) will have a hit out at the Cambridge Workouts at Cambridge tomorrow as he gets ready for some major targets in the next few months.
“He’s been into Cambridge a couple of time for fast work, but he’s been doing most of his work at home,” said Dylan Ferguson who trains in partnership with his wife Jo.
Apollo Eleven last raced in May at Alexandra Park, winning the Group One Young Guns Easton Light Classic and beating arch-rival Duke Of Bourbon. This season he’s won three of his four starts.
“He’s still a colt. He’s grown heaps and he looks really good. He’s just starting to shed the winter coat now. We couldn’t be happier with how he looks and how he’s developed.”
Apollo Eleven’s first target is likely to be the $50,000 Group Three ‘The Sundon’ at Addington on September 25th.
“That’ll depend on what happens over the next week – ten days. Other than that we’re looking at going into the Harness Million fresh up but it would be nice to get that race under his belt.”
Other pencilled in races are the Two Year Old Trotting Prelude at Addington in November and the $100,000 Group One Two Year Old Trotters Championship on Show Day.
“We’re in two mind s as to whether we come home or stay there (in Canterbury). The problem will be if we come home, I don’t think we’ll get any races for him up here. That’s something we’ll just have to play by ear. At this stage the plan is to have his whole campaign in the South Island.”
Meanwhile Ellie Diamond (Bold Eagle) won’t be heading south.
“She’s on a bit of box rest at the moment because she’s got a small stress fracture. She’ll be in the paddock for the rest of the year. We’ll get her ready for the Autumn Carnival in Auckland hopefully.”
The Fergusons purchased a couple of yearlings at this year’s NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales In Auckland, both from the Breckon Farms draft and both for $20,000.
The first is a King Of The North filly out of the three win trotter Alannah Hall. Her second dam is Regal Volo has produced a stack of high end winners, including High Gait and High Energy.
“We quite like her. She’s come a really long way and we’ve just put her out into the paddock. She looks like she might be an early type. She’s got a good attitude and a good action.”
The other purchase was a What The Hill colt out of Lovemelikeyoudo, out of the same family as the King Of The North filly.
“He had a wee bit of an injury, so he’ll be a little bit behind the other yearlings at this stage.”
Dylan and Jo also have a couple of homebred trotters; a Timoko colt out of four win Peak mare Rosie whose wins included the G3 Northern Breeders Stakes and a What The Hill colt out of the fourteen win Monarchy mare She Reigns. He’s a full brother to Micky Hill who’s won his only start for Nathan Purdon.
“They’re both out in the paddock. The Timoko has a wee bit of presence about him. There’s another six or seven trotters on the books, so we’ve got plenty to go on with next season. We’re certainly trying to gear up to try and win the Young Guns again, that’s for sure.”
by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink
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