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FWC on Sport Nation guideStakes targets in the offing for Tardis
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • June 19th, 2026 3:10 pm
Tardis will contest The Lawn Shed Winter Series - 2YO Final (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Tardis started his season in a black-type contest and trainer Daniel Miller is intending to round it out in the same company.
While he finished last on debut in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m), the son of Time Test flourished from a break and returned with renewed vigour when placing at Matamata last month before breaking through for his maiden win at Te Aroha at the start of the month.
Tardis will now chase the good prizemoney on offer in The Lawn Shed Winter Series Finals at Ellerslie on Saturday where he will bid to snare the lion’s share of the $70,000 purse on offer in the Two-Year-Old Final (1200m).
“I am really happy with how he is going into it, I think he has improved off his last start,” Miller said. “He is very well so I think he should be in it for a long way.
“He is a very progressive horse. I wouldn’t have lined him up in a Listed race in his first start if I didn’t think that he went alright. He has always been a bit of a meathead, and he is just starting to figure out what racing is actually about. The last couple of months he has just flourished into a racehorse.”
Tardis is the only horse in the field to have won a race, with the majority being debutants, and Miller is excited to be racing for the prizemoney on offer.
“It is a $70,000 race and he is the only horse that has won a race in it, so it pretty unreal to be racing for that sort of prizemoney,” he said.
Miller is eyeing next month’s Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) and Listed Courtesy Ford Ryder Stakes (1200m) with Tardis, and if everything goes to plan this weekend he said he will press on to the Otaki features.
“There are two Listed two-year-old races next month and I struggle to see what those fields are going to bring,” Miller said. “He can go on top of the ground, but he can also cop a Heavy track, so if he comes through it alright there is no reason why I wouldn’t freshen him up for a week and aim him at those couple of races.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Miller will head to Te Aroha with Sneaky Cyclone, who will contest the Majestic Horse Floats Maiden 1400.
“He is flying,” Miller said. “Off his last start he will be pretty hard to beat, Michael (McNab, jockey) hopped off and said next start he should be bang on.
“His last two starts he has been in the carpark, and he has finally drawn a gate. He should like the Heavy track and third-up he should be good to go.”
