Hello It’s Me in search of further black-type

NZ Racing Desk

5 November 2018

Gr.3 OMF Stakes (2000m) contender Hello It’s Me. Photo: Trish Dunell

Lightly-raced four-year-old mare Hello It’s Me will attempt to add a second stakes victory to her record when she lines-up in the Gr.3 OMF Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Tuesday.

The Chris Gibbs and Michelle Bradley-trained mare won the Gr.2 Royal Stakes (2000m) on the same track on New Year’s Day and her connections believe she has taken a lot of improvement from her last-start unplaced run in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings last month.

“I thought it was a really good run,” Gibbs said. “She was always going to be disadvantaged with the speed of the track and at weight-for-age. 

“I think if we had gotten some rain it would have brought us right into it, but it didn’t happen.

“She kept finding the line and if anything she was going to take a little improvement out of the race. They were just going a bit too slick for her.”

Gibbs said there are some handy horses in the field in Tuesday’s contest, but is confident his four-year-old can test her much older competition.

“There are a couple of good horses in there, they all deserve their chance, but it’s certainly a race that is winnable for anything in it.

“Our mare is in good order, I am happy with her going into the race.”

Gibbs believes Hello It’s Me is a big chance in the Ellerslie feature and has earmarked her for further black-type targets this spring.

“We might be coming into the wrong time of the year with her, but we’ll quietly pick our way along until we decide to pop her back into the paddock again around Christmas,” Gibbs said.

“I think the nicest race for her would be the Counties Cup (Gr.3, 2100m), being a handicap race. But she’s in tomorrow with a big chance.”