The Lindsay Park team has both Gregers and Wawail in the 2015 Robert Sangster Stakes field and co-trainer Tom Dabernig is happy with both gallopers heading into the Group 1 event at Morphettville this afternoon.
Wawail is one of two Lindsay Park-trained gallopers in the 2015 Robert Sangster Stakes. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
Gregers finished a gallant third behind Driefontein and Platelet in the Robert Sangster Stakes last year and she has returned to races after undergoing a throat operation in good form following a second place finish in a heat of the Jeep 55 Second Challenge (955m) at Moonee Valley on March 27 as well as the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on April 18.
Dabernig told Racing Ahead that the stable has been happy with the Robert Sangster Stakes lead-up form of Gregers and he believes that she will receive a lovely trial into the race when she jumps from barrier seven this afternoon.
“I am very happy with Gregers,” Dabernig said.
“I think her form this time in has been excellent, she has had the two runs leading into this and she has been set for this race.
“She rarely ever runs a bad race and her natural racing pattern is to put herself on the speed and I think she shouldn’t be too far away.”
Wawail was touted as an Australian Guineas hopeful at the start of the 2015 Melbourne Festival Of Racing, but the stable changed their plans with the talented filly after she was beaten as an even money favourite in the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m).
The Lonhro filly returned to winning form in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 14 and she was not disgraced when third in the Listed Alexandra Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 27, but Hayes and Dabernig elected to freshen her up for the Robert Sangster Stakes and Dabernig is fairly optimistic about her chances.
“Wawail has good form at sprinting distances also,” Dabernig said.
“We stretched her out in ground, but she has freshened up and is dropping back in distance.
“She goes with the blinkers for the first time and she is a high class filly, but she is taking on some very good mares and she would have to run up to her very best to be in it, but I think she is capable of that.”
Gregers is currently available at 2015 Robert Sangster Stakes odds of $11 with Ladbrokes, while Wawail has been backed into $15 after opening at $19 earlier in the week.
