
Horse Racing: Cashla Bay has form, wet-track credentials for Te Rapa feature
'It was good to tick that box the other day at Matamata and hopefully she can get some black-type.'
Cashla Bay will jump from barrier six on Saturday and will be ridden by veteran hoop Vinnie Colgan.
'It all sets up really nicely for her,' Forsman said. 'We have got a good, experienced rider in Vinnie on [her] and she has got the ability.
'The big thing with her is that she jumps and puts herself in the race and she can handle all track conditions. There's no reason why she won't have every chance.
'She has been up a fair while now and this has always been the target, and hopefully she can go well.'
Forsman will also be represented in the race by Engine Of War, who will carry the silks of Australian micro-share syndicator MyRacehorse.
The Circus Maximus gelding placed on debut over 1100m at Waverley last week, and Forsman is hopeful of a bold showing with that experience under his belt.
'He is a very capable horse, he just lacks experience,' Forsman said. 'We had to take him down to Waverley the other day without the benefit of a trial just to get his campaign going.
'He is a horse we think a lot of and I think he will make a nice horse into the spring of his 3-year-old year.'
Engine Of War is the first horse Forsman has trained for MyRacehorse, and he said his future is likely to be in Australia post Saturday's run.
'They have just come on board and bought into him,' Forsman said. 'At this stage, I'd say his future lies in Australia.'
On the undercard, stablemate Force Of Nature is a dual acceptor for the Modern Transport Group (1200m) and Peter Kelly-Bayleys 1400, with Forsman to decide on which race he will contest closer to Saturday.
'We put in a late nom for the 1200m, which came on the radar because of the smaller field size and he is probably better-weighted there,' Forsman said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

1News
a day ago
- 1News
'If I can't beat him, I should retire' - Nyika's next opponent named
David Nyika will make his comeback from his devastating knockout loss against Jai Opetaia six months ago against Nik Charalampous — an Aucklander who today described the Kiwi Olympian as "overrated". The man known within New Zealand boxing circles as "Nik the Greek" said that for effect in a press conference today but will almost certainly believe the opposite. The 32-year-old Charalampous, a fulltime boxing coach who has a 23-6-2 record as a professional and went the full 10 rounds against the now cruiserweight world champion Opetaia six years ago, is too experienced to truly think that. "I've known David for a long time," Charalampous told 1News. "We've done heaps of sparring over the years. We know each other very well. It would have been nice to have been given 10 weeks' notice for the fight, but I have been consistently training so my body is ready to go into that next gear." ADVERTISEMENT Charalampous, a father of a 12-year-old daughter and 17-month-old son, last week signed off on the fight, to be on the undercard of the Sonny Bill Williams v Paul Gallen main event grudge match in Sydney on July 16. His last fight in a high-profile event was on the undercard of the Nyika v Tommy Karpency main event in Auckland in September last year. Charalampous's opponent was former All Black Liam Messam and the result was a draw, but he arrived out of shape at 107kg and there is no doubt he will take this assignment against a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist far more seriously, albeit at catchweight. (He is likely to tip the scales at around 95kg, with Nyika likely to make the cruiserweight limit of 90.72kg.) Nik Charalampous knows the odds are against him. (Source: Photosport) His defeat by decision in Sydney to Australian-Samoan Opetaia — widely considered the best cruiserweight in the world — remains one of his best achievements in the ring. "I just remember before the fight watching the highlights of him knocking everyone out," Charalampous said. "I was pretty nervous… I'm happy I lasted the 10 rounds with him. I'm not going to be a world champion or anything but when I talk to my grandkids or people I train with, I can say I fought some of the best of my generation." ADVERTISEMENT For his part, Nyika, who was viciously knocked out in the fourth round by Opetaia on the Gold Coast in January after taking the world title fight on short notice, left no doubt about his goal. "If I can't get past Nik I should probably retire," Nyika, now 10-1 as a professional, said. "It won't be an easy fight. I know what Nik is capable of and how much trouble he's given the top guys. For me, it's very much an opportunity to prove what I can do. If I can't stop Nik, it won't be a success for me but, if I lose the fight, it makes it a very hard comeback. "My eyes are still set on the world title and that re-match with Jai… the setback is just another ingredient to the stew. We have so much further to go. "It's not easy to come back from a loss and this was a big loss. This is my livelihood and a big part of my identity today… it's a big step towards the ultimate goal of becoming a world champion." Charalampous, who recently took several of his boxers to Golden Gloves success, is a classic journeyman comeback opponent for a world-class fighter who has suffered a setback. His relatively late signing is also an indication that few potential opponents were willing to sign on for the money on offer, but promoter David Higgins today said he thought Charalampous would do his job well. ADVERTISEMENT The initial plan was for Nyika, who revealed recently to 1News that he couldn't remember being knocked out by Opetaia in the IBF world title fight, to make his comeback on the Gold Coast this month. "Nik is tough," Higgins said. "He's very durable – he's never been put down by a punch. He's very experienced and is used to being on the big stage." Nyika's trainer Noel Thornberry thought the same. "David needs rounds – he's never been past five rounds and Nik could be the one to provide them," he said. "There's no time like ring time."


Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
‘A Wee Bit Weird' – Is It Time For Netball To Scrap Post-Match Huddle?
, Sport Journalist It's the post game ritual that netballers have taken part in for as long as anyone can remember but should New Zealand's elite players ditch the end of game group huddle? Hip hip hip, ray ray ray … is the go-to cheer our top netballers take part in after every game but sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe asked people in the sport whether they actually like the routine. The sight of opposing teams linking arms in a circle after a game has been a common one for years, through to international matches between Australia and New Zealand. In a recent ANZ Premiership match, the two teams came together like they always do to acknowledge each other. But in the commentary box for the TVNZ broadcast, Silver Fern Phoenix Karaka observed that it's not something everyone wants to do. 'I'm not a fan, obviously when you're winning and you've won the game it's all good but when you've lost a game like that – you don't want to see the other team,' Karaka said. In Australia, the players decided to ditch the end of the game group huddle ahead of this year's Super Netball Competition. Former Australian Diamonds legend turned commentator Cath Cox told a Fox Sports panel show that from an optics point of view, the players felt it looked out of place as professional athletes. Players also said it could be 'awkward'. Cox said it came off the back of last year's Constellation Cup between the Diamonds and Silver Ferns. 'They play each other every two or three days and discussions started then around is it too much to be coming into a huddle when you're still in the heat of the battle and after every single game?' Cox said. Former Silver Ferns captain and coach Yvonne Willering said in her day they thanked the opposition and the umpire and then went back to their own team. 'Why would you at that stage want to get in a huddle with the opposition and people sort of say it's all about the game out on court and afterwards you can be mates, but to me it's too soon after the game. It's a bit like I have a problem with a team doing high fives when they really haven't played that well in a particular quarter. 'While it's not a major, I totally understand why the Australians are no longer doing that. I think players themselves [in New Zealand] have been looking at that. I think a handshake and then just moving on has more merit,' Willering said. Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen said it could feel forced at times. 'Sometimes I question why we do that, and is it a bit of a just kind of a nice way to end things out but when you lose you don't want to be in a huddle with the people you just lost to so I can see why the Australian teams have stopped that this season and maybe that's something we need to look at doing,' Pedersen said. But some people in the sport, such as Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, believe it's one of the things that makes netball so unique. 'We're trying to play the best brand of netball that we can play to make it a really strong game in our country and I think a part of that is doing it as a collective so I think to come together at the end of the game and congratulate each other and just celebrate each other I think is powerful in a women's sport and any sport in general so I'm happy to keep doing it,' Sokolich-Beatson said. Pulse captain and Silver Fern veteran Kelly Jackson said she liked the act of camaraderie and respect between the sides. 'I think it's nice to acknowledge the team and everyone goes out there to put their best foot forward so I think it shows a lot of sportsmanship to be able to be I guess humble in victory, gracious in defeat,' Jackson said. Magic midcourter Georgie Edgecombe said she liked what the Australian teams had done. 'Of course shake hands and pay respect to each other after the game but there's probably no need for a huddle and chat, the same thing gets said every week,' Edgecombe said Mystics shooter Filda Vui said when her side played the Stars in round one, it was an opportunity to empathise with their opponents. 'Three of their players got injured and got carried off the court. Mickey [Michaela Sokolich-Beatson] shared a few words just to say we felt for them because those are our sisters and we used to play and grew up with them in Auckland so that's why it's kind of nice too, to just share a few words because that was really sad,' Vui said. Former Silver Fern and current Tactix coach Donna Wilkins, also used to play basketball for New Zealand. Wilkins said you don't see it in any other sport and wondered how authentic it was. 'It's just always what you do in netball and it is a wee bit weird. Like you always shake hands etc in other sports but you don't normally come together. Normally the captain says something but you know we've just been in the heat of the battle – do they really mean what they are saying? 'I know it's something that some of the players have discussed and talked about but I guess we've just always done it so it will be interesting to see if we follow that same path,' Wilkins said. Mirroring what happens in most other sports, the Australian players now get around to one another to shake hands. It remains to be seen whether hip hip hip, ray ray ray is here to stay in New Zealand for years to come. But it's safe to say netball won't go down the NBA route of simply heading down the tunnel to the dressing rooms immediately after the game is done.


NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Velocious aims for Aussie success in Listed Queensland race
Velocious will contest the Listed Queensland Day Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright Race Images By Paul Vettise, News Desk Velocious will bid to add Australian black type to her impressive domestic record when she steps out at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Stephen Marsh-trained daughter of Written Tycoon will run in the Listed U & U Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) with multiple Group