Trainer Robbie Laing is hoping for an easy lead for the front running Lord Of The Sky to help his chances in the Group 1 $500,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Trainer Robbie Laing is hoping that Lord Of The Sky, above, gets an easy lead in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Lord Of The Sky has drawn barrier one in the fourteen horse Memsie Stakes field and if the other noted pacemaker Charmed Harmony takes a sit again, it would make Damien Oliver’s job a lot easier.
“Charmed Harmony will be the one that’s going to take him on this week,” Laing told Racing Ahead.
“If Charmed Harmony and my horse go hell for leather, they will both finish out the back.”
“It sat back off him in the Bletchingly, didn’t race right up to his best. My bloke won that day.”
“After a furlong we will know out fate. Striding along a couple of lengths in front, we look up at the sectionals on the TV and if he is running about eleven and a half or worse than that, he will be very strong at the finish when he lets down.”
Oliver is back on Lord Of The Sky after steering him to an all the way win in the Group 3 $150,000 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on July 30 when Charmed Harmony sat at his rump in the early and middle stages before weakening in the straight to finish eighth.
The 1400m at Caulfield is Charmed Harmony’s pet distance with three wins and two placings from eight attempts while Lord Of The Sky’s record over this course and distance is none from one.
Lord Of The Sky has had one run since The Bletchingly in the Group 2 $200,000 Back To Caulfield P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 13 and worked pretty hard for Mark Zahara in the early stages before finding the lead and although he tried hard in the straight faded to run fifth to Miss Rose De Lago.
Laing said although the six year old had a hard run, it didn’t take him long to recover and he was back in high spirits a couple of days later.
“He pulled up really good. When they go into races fit they get over it pretty quick,” Laing said.
“He puts everything into his races. Sunday he was little bit quiet but Monday he was back to his old self, pulling and reefing and wanted to get on with the job. He is fine.”
“He came out pretty good. He didn’t tear off with a big lead in the first 200m.
“Sitting wide on the track I noticed that he ran the furlong from the 1200m to the 1000m in eleven dead, I thought he was going a bit hard, and then he came back under Mark (Zahra) pretty good but when The Cleaner came off his heels at the 600m and he got going well before the turn.”
“He said he was very happy with the way the horse boxed on.”
“So he got softened up early and softened up before the turn and he still was there at the 100m mark.”
Lord Of The Sky has drifted slightly in the betting and after opening at $9 when the final field for the Memsie Stakes was released on Wednesday, he is now marked at $11 with Ladbrokes.com.au.
The Darren Weir trained Black Heart Bart heads the market order at $2.70 ahead of his stablemates Mahuta at $6.50 and Palentino at $7.
Market order for the Memsie Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.70 Black Heart Bart, $6.50 Mahuta, $7 Palentino, $11 Lord Of The Sky, $13 Alpine Eagle, $15 Tarzino, $16 Sofia Rosa, $19 Rising Romance, $20 He Or She, $26 Charmed Harmony, Tavago, $41 Tally, Prince Of Penzance, $71 Tashbeeh.
