International interest in Iffitel

Talented jumper Iffitel extended her impressive hurdles record to three wins from four starts on Saturday when taking out the Waikato Hurdles (3200m) at Te Rapa.

The Glynn Brick-trained seven-year-old has pulled up well after her 6-1/2 length victory and there are plenty of options open to her connections, including an overseas sale.

“She looks fantastic. I could only look from afar (on Sunday), I couldn’t catch her. She was out in a big grassy paddock on Saturday night and she was full of herself on Sunday morning,” Brick said.

“There’s an offer on the table from England to buy her, so there are a lot of options that we are talking about. It’s very much up in the air at the moment.

“It’s been an offer via text, and at the moment we have said that it’s not enough. 

“Mr Hopson (part-owner) loves racing his horses and he just said this (Monday) morning he loves watching them and he doesn’t really know what he wants to do.

“I don’t own any shares in her, so it’s really up to Mr and Mrs Hopson and Ron MacDonald and what they want to do.”

If a sale doesn’t eventuate, Brick said there are plenty of options for his mare on both sides of the Tasman.

“We are just taking stock of things. There’s possibly the KS Browne or the Awapuni Hurdles and Australia is getting kicked around.

“You have to do what’s best for the horse. She’s going to get a lot of weight now and there’s a lot more money in Australia. I have suggested they send her over there for a couple of big races.”

Lilly Thunder goes back-to-back

The Patsy Riley-trained Lilly Thunder made it back-to-back victories at Te Rapa on Saturday when winning over 1400m in Rating 72 company at Te Rapa on Saturday.

It was the fourth career win from only eight starts for the daughter of Dalghar and Saturday’s victory was a family affair for her Pukekohe trainer. 

“She has always shown us a bit in her track work gallop, but she is just so quiet and just so easy to do anything with,” Riley said.

“My daughter Amber has just moved back home, so she has been riding her in work. It’s quite a family affair, we can all ride her, so that’s nice.”

While pleased with the win, Riley is cautious about stepping up in grade.

“The thing is now, at (rating) 82 there is only a mile or 1200m around, so she might even have to tackle an open race now,” she said.

“She may start at Ellerslie in a couple of weeks’ time and then I might put her out for a month. 

“I’m thinking now that I won’t run her in the bog tracks, I think she might be a bit better than that.

“In spring we have got a bit more choice, so we can try for a fillies and mares race with her.”