Kawi Hopes to Tie Record in Sprint

Kawi | Trish Dunell

Te Rapa plays host to a Saturday card loaded with group races, among them the 1400-metre NZ$200,000 G1 BCD Group Sprint. Seven-time Group 1 winner Kawi (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) is the talking horse on the day, as the gelding will attempt to tie the great Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) with an elusive eighth victory at the highest level in his native land. The Allan Sharrock-trained champion captured the G1 Captain Cook S. at Trentham on Dec. 9 and was only denied by a short head to make it an octet of Group 1s in the G1 Telegraph S. on Jan. 20.

“I'm really pleased with him,” Sharrock told www.nzracing.co.nz. He's sailed through his last run and his work has been up to his best standard. All those behind him have to come up to his weight on Saturday under weight-for-age. At Trentham, he was giving them all weight. His form is better than anything else. I'm pretty confident going into it.”

Kawi leaves from gate nine and Sharrock added, “These Group 1s are never easy to win and next season could be his last season, so we'd love for him to level up. As soon as he tells us he's had enough, we'll pull pin. He's been a great servant and we're not going to send him around for the sake of it.”

Te Akau Racing's Heroic Valour (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a Group 1 winner as a juvenile, also returns after finishing fifth, just a half-length behind Enzo's Lad (Aus) (Testa Rossa {Aus}) in the Telegraph. Last year's Sprint hero Start Wondering (NZ) (Eighth Wonder {NZ}) is looking to rebound. Fourth in the G1 Sistema Railway on New Year's Day, he was 16 of 18 in the Telegraph.

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