23/10/2026
MUFHASA CLASSIC IN THE CROSSHAIRS FOR DERBY WINNER
By Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Last season’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Road To Paris resumed with a pleasing trial at Te Awamutu on Thursday, and now trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood are setting their sights towards a feature mile with their charge.
Bred and raced by Ron and Judi Wanless, Road To Paris had a solid three-year-old term, winning two and placing in two of his eights starts, including runner-up in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) before his Derby triumph.
Road To Paris made his first public appearance of the season when comfortably taking care of his rivals in a 1150m trial on Thursday, much to the delight of his trainers.
“I thought it (trial) showed a lot of class,” James said. “He has had a long build-up and had some nice time off, and I am pretty happy with him.
“He has strengthened markedly and his constitution is better.”
James said the son of Circus Maximus will now likely head to an Open 1400m at Tauranga next month in preparation for the Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham on December 5.
“We had intended trialling him again and then taking him fresh-up to the Group One mile in the first week of December at Wellington,” James said. “We may give him a 1400m race now, given his trial. There is a 1400m at Tauranga on November 14. It is a bit short of his best, but it will replace a trial.”
James was also pleased with Ariadne’s trial on Thursday, where she finished fourth in her 1150m heat.
The four-year-old daughter of Almanzor also had a pleasing season last term, winning one and placing in two of her six starts, including runner-up to Ultimate Habit in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) before finishing fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
James has been pleased with her return and said she will thrive with time.
“I thought she trialled really well too,” he said. “She was always maturity wise behind the eightball at three, but she was still able to be competitive in black-type racing, so you would think she is going to develop into a nice middle-distance horse at four, and be even better at five.”
Meanwhile, James is looking forward to testing his promising three-year-old Excite over a mile for the first time when he heads to Ellerslie on Saturday to contest the Thank You Craig Baker 1600.
The stakes winner has had two starts as a three-year-old, finishing third first-up over 1400m at Ellerslie last month before running seventh in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings, and James said both runs were better than the results suggested.
“He ran the quickest sectionals in both of them, but he wasn’t getting away from the barriers well, so we have done a bit of work at the barriers with him,” James said. “We trialled him the other day at Tauranga and he left the barriers beautifully.
“Hopefully that can continue because it was just putting him into an awkward position in races, and even though he was running great sectionals, he was too far out of it early. Hopefully we have remedied that and we can have a more complete racehorse tomorrow.”
Excite will be stepping back to rating 65 grade, where he has been allocated 60kg, but will get weight relief thanks to apprentice jockey Sam McNab’s two-kilogram claim.
“We wanted to go a mile with him and that was the only one we could really find that was suitable timing towards Riccarton,” James said. “He gets a bit of weight, but we have got a claimer on board.”
Excite is a leading prospect for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton next month, for which he is currently $8 on the TAB’s futures market behind System Of Play at $4, and Asturia and Old Fashioned at $5.
Stablemates Spellbound and Incandescent are also on a path towards the Riccarton Classic and will bid to book their berths in Monday’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa, although Spellbound may be saved for another day after drawing barrier 11.
“Spellbound has drawn out a bit and we may save him for a three-year-old 1400m on Melbourne Cup Day (at Ellerslie) if he doesn’t come in from the draw,” James said. “The other horse has drawn better, so he will go.”
Incandescent has placed in both of his starts this preparation, and James is hoping the addition of some gear will help improve the gelding in the competitive Sarten field.
“He has been drifting around a little bit in the run home and losing a length or two by doing that,” James said. “We have put visor blinkers on him for this run, and he has worked really well in them, so hopefully that curbs that little tendency. It is a good, strong field, and whoever wins it will deserve it, but he is right in it.”
Back at Ellerslie on Saturday, stakes performer December will resume in the Shaw’s 1200, while last-start winner The Precursor will have his final northern run in the Elsdon Park 1600 before heading to Christchurch for New Zealand Cup Week.
“December’s work on Tuesday was almost exceptional. It was stunning work,” James said. “His record is good, he is a good horse, and I expect a bold showing from him. Having said that, it is a good field.
“With The Precursor, we just didn’t want to get to a New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) with a horse that was too dour. He proved that we can have him ready for a staying trip off a light prep when he won at Matamata last start. Hence, we brought him back to a mile just to give him a run around, and all going well he will go from that to the Metropolitan (Listed, 2580m) on the first day of Cup Week and into the Cup.”
📸: Road To Paris winning last season's Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). Photo - Kenton Wright (Race Images)
