New Zealand Racing, 2010-11

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ICEPIN
3 g Pins - Ice Maiden
Breeder: Waikato Stud
Owner: Herbie Dyke
Trainer: Jason Bridgman
Jockey: Sam Spratt

Starts: 14
Wins: 4
Seconds: 4
Thirds: 1
Earnings: $356,615

Major wins:
Avondale Guineas (G2)

Last start: Avondale Guineas (1st)
Best performance of the season: Avondale Guineas (1st)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02cKpN-DRgY

Season so far:
2nd Hawke's Bay Guineas behind Jimmy Choux
3rd Canterbury Stakes behind Undisclosed
10th New Zealand 2000 Guineas behind Jimmy Choux
1st Rating 80, beating I'm A King and Riotous
2nd Great Northern Guineas to Jimmy Choux
2nd Karaka Mile to Banchee
1st Avondale Guineas, beating almost every Derby contender except Jimmy Choux

Pedigree:
Very sprint-heavy. Pins is a highly successful sire, but most of his horses excel over sprint distances. Ice Maiden was a good mare, but she never won over more than 1200m either. Judging simply from his breeding, it's ridiculous that he won the Avondale Guineas over 2100m. But he has a love of racing and determination that has nothing to do with the pedigree page.

Positives:
- Never runs a bad race
- Two wins at Ellerslie, including the Avondale Guineas, and two more stakes placings there
- The field he beat in the Avondale Guineas was very similar to the likely Derby field
- Trained by NZ's leading trainer, Jason Bridgman, and ridden by outstanding jockey Sam Spratt (of Mufhasa fame)

Negatives:
- Jimmy keeps beating him, and he has no excuses - he just gets beaten by a better horse
- Excessively sprint-oriented breeding

Current odds:
8-1 (third favourite)

So can he win?
It'd be great if he did, but I don't think he can. Jimmy Choux has beaten him fair and square so many times now that it's just hard to see him turning that around. But no one expected him to win the Avondale Guineas, and he did, so rule him out completely at your own peril. It's impossible not to love him, and it would be awesome to see him do well. He's definitely a place chance.

Predicted finish:
5th