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FWC: SUI vs BIH live on SN ExtraCanheroc to make stable debut for Pitmans
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • June 18th, 2026 4:02 pm
Canheroc will make his stable debut for Michael and Matthew Pitman at Riccarton on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Group Three-performed stayer Canheroc will commence his path towards the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton this Saturday, but this year he will have home track advantage.
The rising nine-year-old gelding has finished third in the last two editions of the race for Cambridge trainer Chris Wood, but he has subsequently transferred to the Riccarton barn of Michael and Matthew Pitman, for whom he will make his stable debut at the Christchurch track on Saturday in the Greenwood Amberely Cup (1400m).
Michael Pitman said the son of El Roca has made a seamless transition to his new environment and he is looking forward to campaigning him over the coming months, with the New Zealand Cup firmly in his sights.
“He is a lovely old horse, he has been well looked after and he arrived here in great order,” Pitman said. “We are really happy to have him, he is a lovely, kind horse.
“We have had him for three months, he is working well and he is doing everything right.”
Pitman was weighing up whether to trial Canheroc or line him up on the local polytrack first-up, but he has elected to head to his home grass meeting this weekend to try and snare the lion’s share of the $40,000 purse on offer.
“We were going to trial him but we decided against that and thought we would go to the races, it is not a huge field and it’s good money on our backdoor,” Pitman said.
Pitman is hopeful of a good run this weekend but expects Canheroc to be more potent next season as they work their way towards peaking him for the New Zealand Cup in November.
“He is a Good track and a mile-and-a-half to two-mile horse and his main aim is going to be the New Zealand Cup, but that is five months away,” Pitman said. “There is plenty of good racing coming up for him.”
The Pitmans will be represented by a trio of other runners on Saturday, including a two-pronged attack in the Sonia & Garry Thompson Open Handicap (2000m) courtesy of last-start winner Star Ballot and Proserve.
“Star Ballot probably wants the track to dry out a little bit (rated a Soft7 on Thursday morning), otherwise he might be reserved for the polytrack because he is essentially a firm tracker,” Pitman said.
“He has been placed on Soft ground and he has got a great record on the polytrack, but the next (polytrack) meeting is an industry day, it’s not worth a lot of money, so I would imagine we will probably start him on Saturday.
“Proserve ran a good race again the other day. He has gone the same type of races without a lot of luck. He is a bugger of a horse when he gets back on the inside, he doesn’t do much, he has got to get out in the open. At least this time he has drawn second from the outside, so he should be able to get around them and get a crack at them.”
Earlier on the card, Ferrando two-year-old filly The Graduate will contest the Bain McCall Memorial Two-Year-Old (1000m).
“She is a lovely filly,” Pitman said. “I can’t see her beating Swey Loch or Doubtable, but she will be all the better for the experience.
“She is a full-sister to El Vaquero, but she is not the sharp learner that he was, she is more of a three-year-old filly in waiting.”
