Trainer John Sargent was well pleased with his day’s work at Awapuni on Saturday after producing three winners on the nine race programme.

Promising two-year-old Dugan (NZ) (Darci Brahma) opened his winning account in the second race with maiden Maeve Davone (NZ) (Iffraaj) making it back to back wins for the Sargent team in the next whilst Cody Cat (NZ)(ScardeeCat) scored impressively in the last race of the day to cap off a successful trip to the Central Districts for the Matamata raider.

Matamata trainer John Sargent scored a treble at Awapuni on Saturday. “He could also head to a race like the Winter Cup at Riccarton as he would get in on a light weight and I think heis good enough to be competitive if he strikes conditions to suit.”

Group 1 Queensland Oaks winner Quintessential (NZ) made a successful return to winning form and confirmed her Group 2 Brisbane Cup target with victory in Saturday’s A$115,000 Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap (2100m) at Eagle Farm.

The John Sargent trained four-year-old (Fast ‘N’ Famous x Florette) had to work early from her wide draw to sit behind the pace and again in the straight after hitting the lead 300 metres from home where she held on for a half-a-length win in a tough performance.

Trainer John Sargent commented after the race that Quintessential was not at her best during the spring and her winter target is the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (2400m) on 8 June.

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Bred: Trelawney Thoroughbreds, Offered: Trelawney Stud, Purchased: Adrian Clark – NZB’s 2010 Karaka Select Sale - $70,000. 

Oaks winning mare Quintessential has arrived safely in Brisbane to re capture Group One glory again this carnival.  Her first run will be this Saturday in the Chairmans CHP over 2100 with Damian Browne to ride, coming through this race well she could race on the 25th May in the Premier Cup and then onto the Brisbane Cup on the 8th June being her main aim.

Last season’s premiership-winning trainer John Sargent will mark the closure of his Riccarton satellite stable this weekend with five starters on the final day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn carnival.

Sargent has operated an auxiliary unit to his Matamata headquarters for the past three years, occupying stables leased from the CJC on racecourse property. The recent decision to expand across the Tasman with a stable Warwick Farm has precipitated the move to close his Riccarton operation and he will sign off on the last big day of the season at the Christchurch track.

“Being the final day of the autumn carnival it’s an appropriate time to wind it up,” Sargent said. “It’s worked well for me having a base down south but with a stable in Sydney now it’s not easy having such a wide spread.”

As well as local stable residents Needastar (R85 1600), Orutan (R85 1200), Global Partner (R75 2000) and Sometime Later (R65 1600), Sargent will also send recent impressive juvenile winner south from Matamata for the Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes. The Australian-bred ran away with the two-year-old event at the recent Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting, scoring by nine and a half lengths.

“I’ve always liked her but she’s taken a while to get her act together,” commented the Mossman filly’s trainer. “She’s done well since Hastings and this is a good chance to get some black-type to go with her pedigree.”

Well before the successes of his satellite stable members, the Riccarton track had been a happy hunting ground for Sargent, who spent his secondary education in the Garden City. Back when he was based at Otaki, he notched a career first black-type win with Whey To Go in the 1993 Canterbury Gold Cup, while more recent wins include the 2007 New Zealand Cup with Everswindell.

“I have a close attachment to Canterbury racing and I’ll continue to send horses south to race there, but it’s just no longer practical to maintain a stable full-time there,” Sargent said.

Former stable apprentice Michelle Carston, who took over as stable foreman from her twin brother Andrew when he relocated to Sydney to manage the Warwick Farm operation, has taken a position at Awapuni-based trainer Lisa Latta’s Riccarton stable. Some of the current Sargent-trained horses still in the south will also be transferred to Latta, while weekend runner Orutan, the stakes-placed four-year-old by Pins from classy performer Naturo, will go under the hammer at next week’s National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka.

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Promising winter galloper Ten Belles underlined her liking for racing at Tauranga when she scored her sixth career win and fourth at the Gate Pa course in the Stewart Browne Group 1400m on Saturday.

The impressive win has also earned the mare her chance at some of the black-type winter features on offer over the next few months which may culminate in Riccarton’s Group 3 Winter Cup in early August.

“She’s only ever won at Tauranga and Te Aroha for some reason so she obviously has an affinity for both locations,” noted trainer John Sargent. “She has really strengthened up this season though and is now both mentally and physically ready to show just how good she is.

“We think enough of her to look at some of the features over the next few months with the Winter Cup as her main aim although she could also be back at Tauranga in June for the Listed fillies and mares race they have there as you know she will definitely like the venue.”

Sargent is happy with the progress he is making with his Australian stable with several runners in action this week while he also purchased six yearlings at the recent Sydney Easter sale.

“Things are going well and we will have runners on the track this week while I have an eye on the future with the purchases we made at the sales,” said Sargent. “There is also plenty of excitement as our imported English stayer has arrived and is in the first stages of a slow build-up with a Cups campaign in mind.”

The horse Sargent is referring to is the handy galloper Boogie Shoes who has won three of his thirteen starts and was purchased at the Tattersalls Horses In Training sale last year.