Low Expectations For Sertorius In Caulfield Stakes

Co-trainer Jamie Edwards has low expectations heading into the 2014 Caulfield Stakes with Sertorius, but is hoping that the talented stayer will hit the line strongly as he builds towards the Group 1 Caulfield Cup 2400m) a week later.

Sertorius faces a tough assignment against the star-studded field in the 2014 Caulfield Stakes this weekend.

Sertorius faces a tough assignment against the star-studded field in the 2014 Caulfield Stakes this weekend.

Sertorius was scratched from the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) after he was found with a cough and an irregular white blood cell count on Friday morning and Edwards told Racing Ahead that the setback could not had come at a worse time for the Galileo gelding.

“He seems to be fine, but we now going four weeks between runs and then having to back-up in one week,” Edwards said.

“Everything was coming along beautifully, but he just got a bit of a cough, which knocked him around a bit.

“The horse seems fine, but it is a little bit disappointing because you only get one crack at the spring and unfortunately we now have an interrupted prep.

“He had a very light four or five days and at the end of the day we are going into Group 1 racing over a mile and a quarter at Caulfield and you can’t be 80 percent going into these races, you just have to be 100 percent.

“Then he is going to have to back-up in a week and that is probably more of my concern.”

Sertorius is rated one of the outsiders in the 2014 Caulfield Stakes field and Edwards admits that he would be happy if his star galloper is able to beat a single horse home in the star-studded Group 1 event this weekend.

The Freshwater Creek-based trainer confirmed that Sertorius would back-up in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 18 as long as he came out of the Caulfield Stakes without any issues, but still wants to see a credible performance from the seven-year-old.

“Have you seen the field? If he beats one home we will be going well,” Edwards said.

“The main thing is that the horse hits the line hard and at the end of the day he is going into the Caulfield Cup.

“If his sections are solid and he comes out of the run well then away we go.

“We certainly have no expectations of him, but having said that he is a genuine mile and a quarter, mile and a half horse, so if he gets flogged Saturday you would have to reassess, but he has never let us down this horse.”

Sertorius is currently available at 2014 Caulfield Stakes odds of $41, while Dissident ($4.20) and Sacred Falls ($4.20) are locked in a battle for favouritism with Ladbrokes Australia.

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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.