Canterbury horses travel south to support Southland race meetings

Travel subsidies for horses trained outside of Southland to attend the two race meetings on Friday and Sunday were announced in March to help with entry numbers

Kelly Shearing with Gladroy who was the first winner she trained, Shearing will have runners at the Riverton (Friday) and Invercargill (Sunday) race meetings. Photo: JAMIE SEARLE

• Jamie Searle is a long-time Southland racing writer. For more of his work head to the Southland Thoroughbreds Facebook page.

Entries from Canterbury and Otago have been a big help in bulking up fields for Southland's last two thoroughbred race meetings of the season at Riverton on Friday and Ascot Park on Sunday.

A breakdown on the number of stables, the provinces they come from and the race days they are supporting is:

Riverton meeting - Southland, 25 stables; Canterbury, 14; and Otago two

Wairio Jockey Club racing at Ascot Park - Southland, 23 stables; Canterbury, 16, and Otago three.

Travel subsidies for horses trained outside of Southland to attend the two race meetings were announced in March to help with entry numbers, as some Southland horses have been turned out since the previous meeting in the province five weeks ago.

One of the many trainers supporting both race days is Kelly Shearing, of Riverton.

Flick The Switch is her only runner at the Riverton fixture, while Pinx, Choux Macher, Choux In and In Vogue will be her representatives at Ascot Park.

Stephen Marsh, who operates stables at Cambridge and Christchurch, will have Night Raider racing at Riverton and Invercargill.

Shearing is looking after Night Raider for the Christchurch stable of Stephen Marsh. 

Night Raider is in the same race as Flick The Switch - the Barnes Oysters/Riverside Rentals Handicap - at Riverton.

Night Raider has been entered for both race days but afterwards will officially join Shearing's team. The 4-year-old gelding is a half-brother to the 2015 Karaka Million winner Hardline.

"I'm very excited to be getting him," Shearing said of Night Raider, who ran third on a soft track in Christchurch on April 20 at his last start. Two of his three wins have been on heavy tracks.

The Wairio Cup will be presented to the winning connections after the time-honoured race is run at Invercargill on Sunday.

Shearing's comments on Flick The Switch's chances are: "She's very well but I'm worried the track might be a bit wet for her fresh up . . . she's a lot stronger this time in."

Pinx will debut from Shearing's stable in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race at Ascot Park on Sunday. She hasn't raced for 16 months.

Choux Macher's form for the David Mavor Memorial Plate on Sunday is solid with the gelding recording three seconds in his last four starts.

Choux In's training for the Wash Rite & Hyde Landscaping Wairio Cup has included working at the beach.

Shearing's instructions to jockey Bailey Rogerson will be to try and keep Choux In handy to the pace, if possible.

"I'm going to try and get her handier this time. She goes to sleep too much at the back [in her races]," Shearing said.

Side winkers will be added to Choux In's gear.

In Vogue, who is in good order for racing at Invercargill on Sunday. Photo: JAMIE SEARLE

Shearing's last-start Invercargill winner, In Vogue, is in good shape for the Homestead Villa Motel & Majestic Horse Float 2200m.

"I think she's my wellest horse at the moment, she's very happy."