Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Shaune Ritchie is confident Tuxedo (Tivaci) can be a major weight-for-age player next season.
With that in mind, the Cambridge-based horseman and training partner Colm Murray have resisted the temptation to try their luck across the Tasman and have sent the son of Tivaci for a break.
“We did toy with taking him to Australia, but he had eight runs as a four-year-old and that’s enough,” Ritchie said.
“He has gone out on a high and he’ll spend a good six to eight weeks in the paddock and will benefit a lot from that.
“He’s a big-framed horse and he can probably race 50kg or so heavier next spring than he did at four, if that’s the case then he’ll really be a force to be reckoned with at weight-for-age level.”
Three runs back, Tuxedo won the Gr.3 Aotearoa Classic (1600m) before finishing fifth in the Gr.1 Otaki Maori Classic (1600m).
At his most recent appearance, he came from last to run third behind Legarto and Waitak in the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
“We were just delighted and that told us he can run 2000m out strongly and is right up with those best weight-for-age horses,” Ritchie said.
“With the likes of the two great mares (Legarto and La Crique) that have been dominating the weight-for-age arena for a while now retired, and Waitak is a grand old horse, but you wouldn’t imagine he can get any better with age, so it’s looking pretty good for us.
Ritchie believes Tuxedo can continue on an upward spiral with the benefit of a good spell.
“We all know that the four-year-old year is the toughest entering that weight-for-age level and he was just a couple of lengths away from them last spring,” he said.
“He’s got better and better as he’s got stronger through the autumn and there will be more improvement again when he turns five.”
Tuxedo will target domestic Group One assignments on his return and Australia will also be on the gelding’s radar.
“Obviously, there’s good money for him through the Triple Crown series in the spring and that’s what he’ll be aimed at,” Ritchie said.
“As long as he’s going really well, we could perhaps look at a hit and run on Melbourne or Sydney at the back end of the spring.”
