Ocean Park set to trial at Ellerslie

Friday 18 January 2013, 3:25pm

New Zealand galloper Ocean Park is set to make his first public appearance at the start of an ambitious international campaign in Auckland on the day of New Zealand's richest race.

Ocean Park, winner of the Cox Plate, will have an exhibition gallop between races at Ellerslie on January 27, the day of the $NZ1 million Karaka Million (1200m) for Karaka sales graduates.

It will be an early step on the way to a campaign which could see him contest Group One races in New Zealand, Dubai, England and Ireland in 2013.

"I was talking to Andrew Castles (director of racing at the Auckland Racing Club) and we decided that a gallop between races at the Karaka Million meeting would be better than a trial," his Matamata trainer Gary Hennessy said.

Ocean Park is set to kick his campaign off in the Haunui Farm Classic (1600m) at Otaki on February 23.

He will then head to Dubai for the Dubai Duty Free (1800m), a race in which the last New Zealand-trained Cox Plate winner, champion mare Sunline, finished third in 2001.

"We discussed the Duty Free with Brent Thomson and we think that it's a good race for him as he won the Group One Underwood Stakes in the spring over 1800 metres.

"We are under no illusions and it's a big challenge as we saw with Sunline in 2001, but he has great form around him and he beat some very good horses in the spring."

From there they plan to contest the Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) over the tough straight mile at Royal Ascot in June before looking at races like the Irish Champion Stakes (2000m).

A Pins half-brother to Ocean Park will be one of the star lots at the Karaka Yearling Premier Sale, held on January 28 and 29.

– AAP

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