A slightly quieter weekend this week as we move into Cox Plate territory, with our first runner this evening in Queensland for trainer Tony Haydon. Savvy Acquisition debuts this preparation in a 1300m Maiden for the Sunshine Coast twilight meeting. With Jeff Lloyd to ride, Savvy Acquisition jumps from barrier 8 in a field of 10 and will be looking to settle nicely throughout the run before hitting the line strongly. An open race with no natural leaders, we are looking forward to seeing how he kicks off his campaign.
On Saturday we move to New South Wales, where Instant de Reve steps out at Randwick for Chris Waller and the team. In a field of just nine runners in the 1800m BM94, jockey Joshua Parr jumps from barrier 3 and will be looking to ride on pace, rolling along at a nice tempo. Instant de Reve is a horse that enjoys leading so we hope that the race pans out to his liking for a solid finish.
Sunday is Cup day at Sale and sees a number of OTI runners from various Victorian stables. Kicking off the day is Angelic Spirit in a 1400m BM70 race where Busuttin reports that the horse has pulled up well from her recent second place at Cranbourne and is enjoying a change in her daily track work routines, which is most importantly keeping her fresh and happy. We hope to see another top 3 finish for Angelic Spirit.
In the feature of the day, both Romancer and Fastnet Tempest run in the Listed Sale Cup over 1600m. Fastnet Tempest will be aided by Craig Williams again and we will be looking for him to run one better than his placing in this race last year, where he finished a close second. We should see an improved run from Romancer on Sunday, with Jye McNeil aboard, as Weir has placed blinkers on the horse in an effort to sharpen him up.
Shakopee will finally make his debut for the Tony Haydon stable on Sunday afternoon at the Sunshine Coast. He will jump from barrier 3 in a field of 12. Jockey Stephanie Lacy will ride him where he’s comfortable, as he can be quite a quirky horse and difficult to settle in the run.
To wrap up the weekend’s racing we have Le Musicien running at Chantilly, France in the early hours of Monday morning. Although only a handicap, Le Musicien’s race holds a strong field. We’re hoping for another eye-catching from this gelding before he gets transported out to Australia, where he will be under the care of Matt Cumani.
Best of luck to all connections with horses running across the globe!
