BTC Cup winner Famous Seamus did not take part in the Breakfast With The Stars at Eagle Farm this morning, but jockey Ryan Wiggins was still pleased with the way the tough sprinter worked ahead of the 2014 Stradbroke Handicap.
Ryan Wiggins scored his maiden Group 1 victory on board Famous Seamus in the BTC Cup at Doomben at the start of the 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith opted to work Famous Seamus on a dirt track at Eagle Farm early this morning, rather than take the opportunity to work the Elusive City gelding on the course proper, and Wiggins told Sky Sports Radio that the five-year-old worked well going into the feature race of the 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
“I rode Famous Seamus early before the trackwork gallops on the course proper this morning,” Wiggins said.
“He is a bit of a routine sort of horse and if you take him out of his routine he gets a bit upset.
“We didn’t need to go getting him upset this morning, so we worked him very early this morning in the dirt and he worked great.
“I am obviously looking forward to riding him in the Stradbroke on Saturday.”
Famous Seamus performed fairly during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, with his campaign highlighted by a third place finish in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Royal Randwick on March 15, but found his best form to give Wiggins his maiden victory in the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 10.
Wiggins gave Famous Seamus a perfect ride into the BTC Cup, but had little luck in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) on May 24, with Famous Seamus checked on a couple of occasions during the race before finishing ninth, and the leading Brisbane jockey believes that the gelding did well to finish as close to the winner as he did.
“He only got beat by four lengths in the Doomben 10,000 the other day and he never got a crack at them,” Wiggins said.
“I got smashed twice down the straight and that is not idea in a big race and you can’t get knocked down and with those sort of races against those sort of horses.
“The horse went to the line pretty much under a stranglehold still, so really we need to forget about that run and look forward to this Saturday.
“He is a lovely horse and I just hope that he can run well on Saturday.”
Famous Seamus will carry 56 kilograms in the Group 1 event and is currently available at 2014 Stradbroke Handicap odds of $21.
