Co-trainer Jamie Edwards has revealed that a trip to Queensland for the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival is on the agenda for Sertorius.
Sertorius could return to racing for a 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival campaign. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Sertorius started his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with promising efforts in both the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30 and the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13 before he missed the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) due to a fever.
The Galileo gelding was outclassed in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) on October 11 and he was sent to the spelling paddock after he finished a disappointing eighth when favourite in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) on October 22.
Edwards told RSN that he believes Sertorius’ tough autumn campaign did not leave much in the tank for his spring campaign and he confirmed that the seven-year-old was enjoying a well-deserved stint in the spelling paddock.
“He is in the paddock,” Edwards said.
“He had a pretty tough autumn last year, he only had twenty days off from the spring to the autumn and he went up and raced his guts out.
“He came home and just didn’t seem to have the ping in the spring.
“He pulled up not 100 percent from his Geelong Cup, so he went straight to the paddock.”
Sertorius took out the Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, but he has been unable to record a maiden win at the highest level of racing after finishing second in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and third in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) during his autumn campaign.
Edwards admits that Sertorius has not completely proven himself as a Group 1 horse, but he still believes there are plenty of nice races for the veteran stayer and feels the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival could represent a nice option for the veteran stayer.
“Last autumn and spring were all about racing him against the best horses in the land to find out where he is and at the end of the day he probably kept getting beaten two or three lengths running great races, but not winning,” Edwards said.
“We might just reassess this time; we have given him a chance at the top level and he has proven that he is a really good Group 2 horse and is a couple of lengths short of a Group 1 horse.
“We might just have a look and pick the eyes out of three or four nice races and we might even contemplate whether he would be better placed going to Brisbane than to Sydney.
“That is that next rung down again and that is probably where this horse sits.”
Sertorius was purchased for $100,000 at the 2009 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and he already accumulated over $1.1 million in prizemoney for owner Michael Palmer.
