Tony Pike is expecting Honey Badger to be a serious contender for stakes honours as a four-year-old.
The Cambridge trainer produced the El Roca filly for a victory stroll at Tauranga on Saturday and is tipping the best is yet to come from the Gerry Harvey-bred filly.
“If she gets conditions to suit, there’s a nice black-type race in her next season,” he said.
Honey Badger had won by a wide margin at Rotorua two runs back before she was beaten into third as a short-priced favourite at Te Rapa.
“She got further back there than we wanted, it was a genuine heavy track at Tauranga and from a low draw Michael (McNab) was able to be more positive,” Pike said.
“She’s holding her condition really well, so she’ll definitely have a couple more runs.”
Honey Badger was quicky into stride to sit in behind the leader and McNab angled her off the fence before the turn.
They strode to the front 250 metres from home and romped clear to score by three and a-half lengths and take her record to three victories and four placings from 11 appearances.
“She jumped well and out herself right there and she got the track conditions to her liking,” McNab said.
Honey Badger was purchased out of Westbury Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale for $30,000 by Ronan Fownes, son of champion Hong Kong trainer Caspar.
She is a sister to the five-time winner and stakes placegetter Miss Cartier with their dam the late More Than Ready mare Sacred Vow, who produced a filly and colt by Swiss Ace before her passing.
Sacred Vow was a half-sister to the dam of the G2 Great Northern Guineas winner Swissta and the immediate female family of the Listed winner and multiple Group 1 placegetter The Cloisters.