Trainer Sam Kavanagh has revealed that he is considering setting talented imported galloper Tales Of Grimm for the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Sam Kavanagh is confident that Tales Of Grimm can be a major contender during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Tales Of Grimm was purchased by Kavanagh at the Tattersalls July Sale for 75,000 Guineas after performing well in 13 race starts in the United Kingdom and the rising trainer originally planned to target the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on December 13 with the six-year-old.
The Distorted Humor gelding made his first public appearance in Australia when he finished a credible fourth behind Howmuchdoyouloveme in a barrier trial over 900 metres at Rosehill Gardens on November 25, in a performance that indicated he was ready to make his Australian racing debut, but Kavanagh told Racing Ahead this morning that he plans to freshen the import up for a 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival campaign that will be focused on a tilt at the Ajax Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 14 and potentially the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on the opening weekend of The Championships.
“I’m not sure what I am going to do there,” Kavanagh said.
“He has had a trial now and been through the system and I am sort of tempted to now freshen him up.
“I thought about taking him to Queensland for a Listed mile in two weeks, but I am tempted now to just freshen him up.
“We tend to get a bit of rain here in Sydney in February and I might step him out in February and aim at the Ajax Stakes in March.
“If he wins the Ajax obviously he gets an exemption ballot for the Doncaster and if he didn’t win we would set our sights lower.
“He looks like he is going to be a pretty serious autumn horse the way that he is going at home and what he showed in Sydney.”
Tales Of Grimm made his racing debut under the care of Sir Michael Stoute in 2011 and won the Don Deadman Memorial Maiden Stakes at Newbury in his racing debut and was given an opportunity at Group level in races like the Tercentenary Stakes, RSA Thoroughbred Stakes, Winter Hill Stakes and Diomed Stakes.
The talented gelding joined the stable of Richard Fahey in September of 2013 and he returned to winning form at Newbury before he finished second in the Group 3 Darley Stakes at Newmarket.
Tales Of Grimm has been unable to record a race win in his past eight starts, but he was far from disgraced when sixth in the Royal Hunt Cup during the 2014 Royal Ascot Meeting.
