Gerard seeks quickfire double for stakes-winning connections
Richard Edmunds - Raceform • June 27th, 2025 2:00 PM • 4 min read
A week after saddling Cork for a Listed Tauranga Classic win that was worth $80,000 in prize-money and even more in residual value, Matamata trainer Pam Gerard will shoot for another feature prize this weekend with a horse carrying those same Fletcher tartan colours.
Harlech will head to Ruakaka for Saturday’s Winter Championships meeting, where he will contest the $60,000 ITM/GIB Sprinters’ Final over 1400 metres.
“It was a bit up in the air which race we’d run him in, but I leaned towards the 1400,” Gerard told RaceForm. “The horse is so well at the moment and I think he’s fresh enough to be quite sneaky over 1400.
“We’re just a bit stuck in terms of weights and the very heavy track conditions at most venues. I would have loved to run him over a mile at Ruakaka, but we don’t have that option. So my original plan was to step him up to 2100 metres this weekend, but he’s so well and so fresh that we might just stick to 1400.”
Harlech has won five races and more than $630,000 in stakes for an ownership group that includes the Cork quartet of Dame Sian Elias, Hugh Fletcher, Ned Fletcher and Natalie Walker.
But despite a long and well-travelled 49-race career that has seen the Darci Brahma gelding place in stakes races in the North and South Islands, perform at Group One level and also win a race in Victoria, this will be Harlech’s first visit to Ruakaka. Gerard expects the eight-year-old to be ideally suited to the track conditions, which were rated Soft5 on Tuesday.
“He struggled a little bit with the heavy track at Te Rapa (sixth over 1600 metres on June 14),” she said. “I still thought it was a super run. He drew one and had young Jack (Taplin) in the saddle, having his first day riding. It might have been a case of him having a bit of nervous energy. Maybe it would have been better if he’d been able to take a sit, but he ended up doing a fair bit of work. It was still a good performance in conditions that didn’t suit.
“The horse has got a lot of bounce in his legs and I’m very happy with him heading into Saturday. He doesn’t like the really testing winter tracks, so he should be much more at home at Ruakaka.
“It’s going to be hard to carry 62 kilograms, so once we decide which race we’re running in, we’ll work out which claiming apprentices are available.”
Harlech will be accompanied on the journey north by a handful of runners in maiden company on Saturday’s supporting card.
“I quite like a filly called Kaz Caz, who’s trialled up super well and I think is ready to go a bold race,” Gerard said. “The only problem is she didn’t win her trial, so she hasn’t picked up any points. It’s not easy finding races where she’ll get a start.
“Let’s Dance is another one that’s going well and is just looking for better ground.”
