Owner Darren Dance has revealed that Kelinni will run at the 2014 Royal Ascot Meeting before potentially returning to Australia for a tilt at the 2014 Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Kelinni has joined the stable of leading European trainer Marco Botti after being purchased by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock. Photo by: Steve Hart
Kelinni was purchased by Dance’s Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock operation at the end of his failed 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign and has been sent to the stable of leading European trainer Marco Botti.
Dance told TVN yesterday that races like the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Melbourne Cup are both still on the agenda for Kelinni, if he can return to his best form during the 2014 European racing season.
“We will campaign him at Royal Ascot and hopefully get him back into the form he showed in 2012,” Dance said.
“If he does we will look to bring him back for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup.
“He ran a really good race in the Caulfield Cup this year and he’s only a young horse.”
Kelinni joined the stable of Chris Waller in 2011 and progressed through the grades well in Sydney before being given an opportunity at the highest level of racing during the 2012 Spring Racing Carnival.
The Refuse To Bend gelding made his Group racing debut with a win in the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) and stepped up to Group 1 level with a second place finish behind Glencadam Gold in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m).
Kelinni was taken to Melbourne where he earnt a start in the 2012 Melbourne Cup with a win in the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) and produced arguably the performance of his career in ‘the race that stops a nation’ just four days later.
He performed well during the 2013 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, winning the Listed Japan Racing Association Plate (2000m) carrying the top-weight of 60kg, and went into the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) as clear favourite, but could finish no better than sixth.
Kelinni started his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival with a string of disappointing performances in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m), Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) and Group 3 Craven Plate (2000m) before returning to a semblance of his best form with a ninth place finish in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The six-year-old failed to fire in the Lexus Stakes and Waller elected to withdraw the imported stayer from the Melbourne Cup and instead target the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) where he finished ninth behind Sertorius.
Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock-owned stayers Jakkalberry, Dandino and Tac De Boistron are all a chance to return to Melbourne for the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
