17 Dec 2017
Tavistock gelding Aero De Paris will continue to learn his trade in New Zealand ahead of a possible overseas career.
The Hong Kong-owned three-year-old is highly-rated by trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott but still very much a work in progress.
“He’s obviously got good ability and we just have to educate him along the way. We’ve always liked the horse a lot,” O’Sullivan said.
And it was easy to see why after Aero De Paris created a huge impression at Hastings on Thursday when he overcame a torrid run to break his maiden over 1400m under stable apprentice Sam Weatherley.
From an outside gate they were forced to race three off the fence without cover and, despite running wider on the home turn, the son of Cambridge Stud's Montjeu stallion Tavistock gelding flattened out impressively in the run home.
“It was a very good performance,” O’Sullivan said.
“I’m certainly not blaming Sam, but you don’t see many horses do what he did. With the trip he got he was entitled to drop right out.”
Bred by Judge John Clapham, Aero De Paris was a $200,000 Karaka purchase out of Cambria Park’s 2016 draft for owner Daniel Yeung Ngai.
He raced the multiple Group One-winning New Zealand-bred sprinter Aerovelocity out of the Hong Kong stable of O’Sullivan’s brother Paul.
“I said to Daniel that this horse can race for as much here as a three-year-old, the opportunities are better,” Lance O’Sullivan said.
“If he’s good enough for the Hong Kong Derby, which is what he was purchased for, there are far more chances here to get his rating up.”
From the family of the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance, Aero De Paris holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) and is currently a $35 chance.
“Everybody with a three-year-old that looks like they can stay has that as a target and so do we,” O’Sullivan said.
“He’s got all the ability, we just need to harness it. We’d like to give him another run around Ellerslie and the Karaka Million 3YO Classic is a race on the radar.” – NZ Racing Desk