Mike Bass said that all three of his runners for the Grade 2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy over 1800m, on Saturday at Kenilworth Racecourse, were doing well and he could not separate them in terms of their winning chances.
English Garden carries top weight and will be 2kg under sufferance with the best in at the weights, Lion In Winter, while he is 1kg out with Run For It and 0,5kg out with Paddy O’Reilly.
Bass said, “He’s had two runs this season and has been wide over too short a distance in both so hasn’t been given much chance. On Saturday I should think he will prefer the longer straight and from the good draw will be able to be where he wants to be. He should be able to run back to his best.”
Super Storm finished a narrow second in this race last year to Cask carrying 2kg less than Saturday’s 58,5kg and from draw six compared to 12. However, a lot of Bass horses come into their own at age five and he meets English Garden on the same terms as they would in a handicap. Bass said, “He is drawn wide again and will need a lot of luck, but he is doing very well too.”
Chesalon is drawn in pole position and Bass said, “He was a bit sick after his last run and had to miss a week’s work, but he is fine now and is hopefully back in time. Anton Marcus was going to ride him but has decided not to come down. He is drawn in pole and should run well.” Asked who he would choose between his three, he said, “It’s a tough call and I think it could go any way.”
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Glen Hatt has always rated the Joey Ramsden-trained Lion In Winter, who runs in the Grade 2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, and he makes the big five-year-old Western Winter gelding a serious contender.
Hatt had won a Grade 2 over course and distance on Lion In Winter before when they took the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap in January this year.
Hatt has just returned from a week in Mauritius where he rode in the Jockey’s International Challenge and said, “I haven’t been here to work him but he’s not a horse that has to be babied around in work and does everything you ask of him. He’s doing well and I’m looking forward to the race.”
Lion In Winter is best in at the weights and Hatt implied that he would be able to make the most of this advantage. “He’s close to top weight, but he is a big strong horse who can carry weight. There is not such a big range in the weights either and most of the lighter weights don’t look to be as good as him.”
Hatt concluded by saying that the Kenilworth new course with its long straight is ideal for Lion In Winter, who ran a fine race last time out when running on strongly for third in the weight for age Grade 2 Green Point Stakes over 1600m on the tighter old course in November. Lion In Winter is drawn well at five and he looks to be the horse to beat.
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Justin Snaith said that Run For It will face the most important test of his career to date in the Calulo Services Premier Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth on Saturday as there could be no excuses.
The luckless horse will be having his third run of the season and Snaith said, “His first two outings were 100% prep runs and he had done very little grass work leading into them. He is now ready and there can be no excuses.”
He is drawn quite wide out at nine and Snaith said, “He should be used to wide draws by now, in fact nine is a good draw for Run For It.”
Run For It proved his effectiveness over this course and distance in the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap in January this year when as a three-year-old from draw four off a merit rating of 107 he was unlucky to experience traffic problems close to home before finishing just a head back in third to Lion In Winter.
Snaith felt that the public could get a good start to Saturday’s meeting with his charge Vilnius in the first race, a work rider’s maiden over 1000m.
“I give him a very good chance and the rider Elliot Kondile won the last work rider’s race.”
Of the rest of his card Snaith felt that Drill Sargeant had a place chance in the ninth as he would appreciate the step up in trip, and he said of Paddy Power, who won second time out of the maidens last time, “The handicapper has got to him a bit, but he has a place chance.”
He reckoned the second race, a maiden juvenile plate over 800m in which he runs Albert Mooney and Terminator, would be “tough”.
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Stephen Page runs the defending champion Cask in Saturday’s Grade 2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy over 1800m at Kenilworth Racecourse and is confident of good runs from both him and Saluki.
Page reckoned Cask, a five-year-old Fort Wood gelding, would be as good as he was going into this race last year and said, “He is doing okay and didn’t run bad races in his last two starts. They were both good races considering he had fairly wide draws.”
Cask carried 56,5kg to victory last year from draw seven when merit rated only 96 and this year must carry 59,5kg from draw eight off a merit rating of 100.
He is 6kg under sufferance with the best in this year, Lion In Winter, whereas he was only 3kg out with the best in Bravura last year and the latter probably needed the run back then too.
However, Page said, “The longer straight will suit him better than his last two starts and I think he is in with a chance.”
Saluki is capable of a very strong finish and Page confirmed that having run on well in both his last two starts on the old course he is another that will appreciate the longer straight. He was confident he would also run a good race.
Saluki goes into this race on the back of a possibly more effective preparation than he did when a 3,75 length ninth last year as his two comeback runs have had a month between them as opposed to 10 days last year.
The six-year-old Dubai Destination gelding is drawn widest of all at thirteen as opposed to a good draw of four last year. However, in his favour is that he came from virtually last when drawn 15 in the only stakes race win of his career in the Grade 3 Schweppes 2200 on Vodacom Durban July day in 2010.
all the above By David Thiselton
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