The Ryal Bush horseman has trained the winners of seven races in seven weeks of the new season. He is sharing the lead in the trainers' premiership with Tim Butt and Tony Herlihy.
Cityscape, who qualified at Wyndham 12 days earlier, is a 4yr-old gelding by Artiscape from Chi Town Lady, an unraced half-sister by Falcon Seelster to Yulestar, winner of the 2001 Interdominion Final in Brisbane and the 2000 New Zealand Cup.
He is raced by Terry Stumbles, Noel Eade, Tony Rabbitt and Graham Stevens, all of Invercargill.
Eurolocal Lad is a 9yr-old who had not won a race for three years. Hunter took over the training of Eurolocal Lad this year and the gelding resumed racing in June after an 18-month break. Eurolocal Lad had been turned out after winning two races for Christchurch trainer Ian Prouting, who had him on lease.
Eurolocal Lad reverted to his Christchurch breeders Dave McNally and his sister, who decided to try the gelding with Hunter. The McNallys won two races at Forbury Park in 2005 with Ever So Shy from the Hunter stable.
• Graduation, a last-start winner at Gore on August 29, has been sold to Queensland.
Graduation was one of two winners on the day for Oamaru trainer Graham Bartlett, who has a small team. His other winner, the trotter Maple Tart, followed up with a second to Sunnivue Ted at Forbury Park. She races at Oamaru on Sunday.
• Gold Trail has recovered from an injury sustained in England and will be prepared for another international campaign, AAP reports.
The gelding arrived has been back in the Warwick Farm stable of Gary Portelli for a week.
"He has put on weight and is looking beautiful," Portelli said.
"I'm keen to go back to the New Zealand for the Railway Handicap again on New Year's Day.
"I would be happy to do the same as we did last year and get a couple of barrier trials into him and go into the race first-up.
"After that we'd like to have another go at Singapore."
Gold Trail won the group one Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie with a typical front-running performance. He failed on a slow track in the Telegraph Handicap in Trentham.
His Railway win earned him an invitation to compete in the KrisFlyer Sprint in Singapore in May. He finished finished fourth behind Green Birdie, Rocket Man and Happy Zero.
That performance sealed a trip to Royal Ascot where for the King's Stand. He did not fire and he was found to be injured across his hind-quarters.
