King’s Birthday return for talented Twain
Richard Edmunds • June 1st, 2025 9:45 AM
A week after pulling off a first-up masterstroke with the veteran Ata Rangi at Ellerslie, John Bell is hoping to see another bold return to racing this weekend – this time from one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in his Cambridge stable.
Monday’s Waihou Tavern (1150m) at Te Aroha will mark the first raceday appearance in 152 days for Twain.
The well-related son of Per Incanto and the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) winner Fleur De Lune is raced by his breeders Elizabeth and Peter Martin and has so far had seven starts for four wins, a third and a fourth.
The gelding kicked off his career with a pair of smart victories last July, winning by two and a half lengths at Tauranga and by a length and three-quarters at Te Rapa. His first defeat was a close third at Ellerslie in September behind the subsequent dual Group winner and Group One placegetter Luberon.
After another third placing at Tauranga, where he was beaten by a long neck and a nose, Twain returned to winning form with back-to-back sprint successes at Tauranga and Ellerslie in November. The placegetters in those races included Francee and Glamour Tycoon, who have both gone on to win at Listed level this autumn.
Twain’s most recent appearance came at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, where the four-year-old finished fourth in a Rating 75 sprint behind Poetic Champion, Sweynesday and Shoes.
Bell entered Twain for a first-up run at Te Rapa last weekend but scratched him in favour of a trial at Waipa on Tuesday. Twain won his 850m heat by two lengths.
“We’re very happy with the horse,” Bell said. “As Bart Cummings always said, ‘If in doubt, pull out.’ We followed that philosophy in scratching him from Te Rapa and giving him a quiet trial instead.
“We were very pleased with what he did in that trial and how he came through it. Everything’s going well ahead of his return to racing on Monday.
“He’s not a Heavy10 horse, but he does have class. Looking at the field, there’s a number of on-pace runners there, so we’ll have to form a plan with Triston (Moodley, jockey) on how best to approach the race.”
Twain will attempt to follow the example of his nine-year-old stablemate Ata Rangi, who won a 2200m open handicap at Ellerslie last Sunday in his first start for 204 days.
“I worked with Ken Browne for a number of years, and what he always did with his jumpers was bring them into work on New Year’s Day and quietly build them up from there,” Bell said. “I followed that blueprint with this horse. I knew he was fit going into that race, he was given a lovely ride – an incredible ride, really, for a 4kg claimer (Hayley Hassman) – and the plan worked.
“He’s likely to run again at Ellerslie next Saturday, and we’ll just take it from there. If we think he’s ready for a jumps race and there’s a suitable option for him in the northern region, we may go in that direction, but there’s no rush to do that while he’s going nicely on the flat.”
Bell’s stable will also be represented at Te Rapa this Saturday by Hot Salsa in the Signature Homes Jumps Day June 14 Mile (1600m).
The Tavistock gelding has won only three of his 43 starts, but has recorded 10 second placings and five thirds.
“He’s a really nice horse, and everyone knows he’s our ‘bad luck’ horse in the stable,” Bell said. “There’s always something going wrong with him, but at least it’s only minor things.
“He’s well-bred and very capable and has had a lot of seconds. He’s going into this race in good order and it would be nice to see him turn his luck around.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
