Vinery sires are gunning for a clean-sweep of Perth’s Gr.1 feature races on Super Saturday with Testa Rossa, Mossman and Casino Prince represented but it might be Testa’s rising 3yo star Testamezzo that steals the show.
Mossman’s champion sprinter Buffering can complete a Group 1 hat-trick in the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) and his progressive mare Plucky Belle is right in the market for the G1 Railway Stakes (1600m).
Plucky Belle is coming off a Group 3 victory at Flemington and is on the third line at $7 behind Smokin Joey ($4.40) and Longport ($6.50). Vinery has a strong hand in the million-dollar mile – Longport is by Casino Prince and local star Ranger, a son of Testa Rossa, is at $21.
Testa Rossa can provide a tasty entree for the feature double with Testamezzo in the Placid Ark Stakes L (1200m).
Testamezzo (3g Testa Rossa – Tremezzo by Encosta de Lago) was a brilliant winner of the Appleton Estate Sprint (1000m) at Ascot last Saturday but trainer Dan Pearce was in two minds whether to back him up at Listed level.
“I don’t want to over-cook this one – he’s a special horse,” Pearce said. “He pulled up okay so we decided to go ahead. He’s going to be winning nice races down the track if we look after him.”
Testamezzo has only been beaten once in five starts and that was in the Belgravia Stakes L last month. “He was out the back and caught three-wide at the 600 metres,” Pearce recalled. “But he must have made up 10 lengths in the straight.
“I lost plenty of sleep over that race. We were thinking of setting him for the WA Guineas but the Placid Ark is a better option at this stage of his career.”
Testamezzo was a $60,000 buy at the 2012 Gold Coast Magic Millions for his syndicate that includes Steve Cooper, Kevin & Linda Hughes, Brad Jones, Rob Palm, Tom & Rosemary Watson and Ron Williamson.
Nicknamed ‘Rosco’, he’s bred to get over ground being out of Tremezzo who won five races in Melbourne. She broke the 2000m track record at Caulfield in December 2007.
Testamezzo has a 2yo sister that has been retained by his Victorian breeders Rob and June Harding. And Tremezzo foaled another Testa Rossa colt in September.
