Stakes placing for the Aftershock

A good and very promising run from The Aftershock on Saturday to finish 3rd in the Listed Welcome Stakes at Riccarton.

He got a slight check early and got well back in the field, but he relaxed well and was happy. He got held up for a run at about the 400 metres and Jamie Bullard had to extract him from a gap where he lost momentum. Once balanced up again he accelerated, but did a lot of things wrong and Jamie had to stop riding him three times in the last 300 metres, when he shied away from other horses, or lugged in. He has made up 5 or 6 lengths in the straight and got within 3/4 of a length of winning and he is a horse with a big future.
He was the only horse in the field on Saturday that is not yet a 2yo by foaling date, so has a lot of improvement and will also race more kindly when he steps up over distance.

He will now be set for the $1,000,000 Karaka Million at Ellerslie on the 30th of January. By lunchtime on Sunday he was at the spelling farm where he will freshen up for 10 days. He will next race at Dunedin on Boxing Day in a 2yo 1000 metre race worth $10,000 and everything going to plan will then head north. He will have either a trial right handed in January, or a race if we need it as his lead in to the Karaka Million.