Cannyescent To Press On To Ming Dynasty Quality

Trainer Gabrielle Englebrecht has confirmed that Cannyescent will press on to the 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality at Royal Randwick on September 5.

Cannyescent suffered interference at the hands of Shards (pictured) in the 2015 Up And Coming Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart

Cannyescent suffered interference at the hands of Shards (pictured) in the 2015 Up And Coming Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart

Cannyescent made his debut at Group level in the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Royal Randwick on August 22 and he travelled into the race nicely, but he was checked and blocked for a run at a key point in the race before working home strongly in the final stages.

Englebrecht was devastated that Cannyescent did not get a clear crack at them in the Up And Coming Stakes, but she told Sky Racing HQ this morning that the last son of Canny Lad had taken no harm out of the tough run.

“I desperately wanted a run and I would have loved to see what he could have done if he got out,” Englebrecht said.

“That is racing unfortunately and you have to take the good with the bad.

“The thing with him is that he just lets down so fast and as a soon as he accelerated that run just closed up.

“The winner shifted out on top of us and we were in a little bit of trouble there for a few strides.

“As disappointing as it was, it was only his second start in a race and he took a lot of learning out of that experience.

“It might man him up a little bit going forward.

“He has come through it really well.

“He is a very immature horse physically and when I do eventually put him up in the spring I expected him to thrive and put on quite a bit of weight.

“He only lost four kilos in the run, which was quite positive given his immaturity.

“We put a saddle on him yesterday and took him for a little canter and he was as bright as a button.”

Cannyescent has only had two races starts, but Englebrecht has always been of the belief that the three-year-old would be better in the autumn and is wary of pushing him too far during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.

Englebrecht said that at this stage Cannyescent would have his next race start in the Ming Dynasty Quality, but she is adamant that she will not hesitate to pull the plug if she does not think the colt is right heading into the Group 3 event.

“He is really loving being in work,” Englebrecht said.

“At any time if I think he is starting to train off then I am not going to push off.

“His welfare and his future is the most important thing all the way through, but at the moment he is thriving.

“We will push on to the Ming Dynasty and he will do a little bit of fast work on the weekend.

“We will monitor him day by day, but it is all looking very positive at this stage.

“I have always thought that he would be a really good miler plus and I don’t think that the extra distance will both him in anyway.”

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.