"I was worried how he would handle the standing start at Invercargill but he got away slowly," Cran Dalgety, his West Melton trainer, said.
Matt Maguire was having his second standing-start race. He will be off 10m at Kaikoura.
The 4yr-old Christian Cullen-Unrehearsed gelding has now won eight races and $93,390 in stakes for owners Phil and Margaret Creighton, of East Taieri, and Alister Rooney, Peter Gorman and Allan Vernel, all of Christchurch.
Matt Maguire was an $80,000 purchase by Dalgety at the 2009 Australasian Classic yearling sale. He was offered by Cambridge breeders Ray and Diana Kennedy.
Matt Maguire is the third foal of Unrehearsed, who is making her mark as a broodmare. Matt Maguire is a brother to Lizzie Maguire, winner of 12 races, including the Northern Oaks and a Harness Jewels at age 2. Her second foal, Thomas Maguire, has won 10 races.
River Black, winner of the Tuapeka Cup at Forbury Park on Sunday, has also been entered for the yearling sale race at Kaikoura.
River Black was a $40,000 purchase by brothers Ron and Colin Bennett, of Christchurch, at the 2009 premier yearling sale.
The Courage Under Fire-Stella Franco colt was offered by Allan Clark, of Highview Standardbreds, Riverton.
River Black has eight races and been six times placed in 20 starts for $83,713 in stakes. He is proving a worthy replacement for Waipawa Lad, who won 17 races, including the 2007 NZ Free-For-All for the Bennetts from the Ladbrooks stable of Dean Taylor.
Mark Jones drove Waipawa Lad in his wins before the Live Or Die gelding was sold to the United States in 2009. Jones is also the driver of River Black.
River Black is the first foal of unraced Badlands Hanover mare Stella Franco, a sister to Smart Son and Vanderel and half sister to Impish.
Smart Son was at one time the fastest New Zealand-bred pacer over a mile with a time of 1.49.6 in the early 1990s.
Vanderel won 14 races, including a Forbury Park Four-Year-old Championship, and Impish won six, including the 2000 heat of the Sires' Stakes at Ashburton in 1.54.9.
Dalgety has paid up with Raging Bull, Bettors Creek, Orl Black and Rockin Roll Lad in the Sires' Stakes heat for 3yr-olds at Addington on Saturday night.
"It was a late decision with Raging Bull. He has only had one workout and others are race hardened," Dalgety said.
Raging Bull won his workout at Rangiora on Saturday in 2.33.8 for 2000m (mobile).
Raging Bull won his two starts as a 2yr-old at Rangiora in March. The Christian Cullen colt missed major races after he developed a quarter crack and also became ill.
"He has grown into a magnificent animal," Dalgety said.
Bettors Creek won over a mile in 1.56.1 at Ashburton on Monday. Dalgety said Orl Black was not disgraced when seventh in the heat last Friday, won by stablemate Texican.
Rockin Roll Lad ran second to Bet Away at the Tuapeka meeting.
