Japanese import Tosen Stardom will be aimed towards the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 11 in a bid to avoid clashing with super star Winx during the 2017 Autumn Carnival.
Premiership winning trainer Darren Weir, above, will aim Tosen Stardom towards the Australian Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
With Winx’s Autumn campaign likely to be restricted to Sydney, Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett said that Tosen Stardom will get every opportunity to record a Group 1 win on Australian soil in the Australian Cup.
“We’re like everyone, wherever possible we’ll be trying to avoid Winx,” Lovett told racing.com.
“She can’t run in everything so wherever she’s not going, we’ll be looking to go with a horse like him.”
“He’ll just be aimed at the Peter Young (Stakes) and the Australian Cup in Melbourne – that will be his goals.”
“He’ll kick off early because he’ll be wound up early because he hasn’t had much racing.
“Hopefully, he’ll do the job in the early autumn in Melbourne then we’ll bring him to Sydney.”
The Group 2 $200,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) will be run at Caulfield on February 25, two weeks before the weight for age Australian Cup.
Tosen Stardom only had one run for premiership winning trainer Darren Weir during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival for a fourth to Awesome Rock in the Group 2 $250,000 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 3.
Weir then had to abort a run in the Group 1 $500,000 Colgate Optic White Stakes (George Main Stakes) (1600m) at Randwick on September 17 after Tosen Stardom cut his leg in transit from his Victorian stable to Sydney
A scheduled clash with Winx in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 was also ruled out as was the rest of the Spring Carnival.
Japanese trainer Yasutoshi Ikee campaigned Tosen Stardom in Sydney during the 2015 Autumn Carnival and the Deep Impact stallion wasn’t disgraced with a second to Contributer in the Group 1 $500,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill followed by a fifth to Criterion in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on day two of ‘The Championships’.
Sydney’s leading trainer Chris Waller has mapped out a four race Autumn Carnival program for Winx that will culminate with a run in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 8.
