Renew finished at the tail of the field in the Doriemus Handicap at Flemington on Saturday, but trainer Archie Alexander has confirmed that the imported stayer will continue on a path to the 2015 Adelaide Cup.
Renew will have the chance to record a maiden win at Group level in the 2015 Adelaide Cup. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett
Renew was having his first race starts since he took out the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) in November of last year and he was unable to sprint with his rivals when asked for an extra effort by jockey Chris Symons and he finished tenth lengths behind fellow Adelaide Cup hopeful Averau.
Alexander told RSN this morning that he was initially slightly disappointed with the performance of Renew, but he is hopeful that the tough gelding will have taken plenty of benefit from his first-up run.
“Renew pulled up ok,” Alexander said.
“Obviously you are always a little bit disappointed when you have a horse finish last, but he was racing against horses that were third and fourth-up and he has dropped back 1200 metres from his Sandown Cup distance back to 2000.
“When they sprinted he didn’t quiet have that turn-of-foot, but he needs racing and the horse improves with runs.”
Alexander is keen to give Renew plenty of racing heading into the Adelaide Cup and he confirmed that the Dansili gelding will have his next race start in the Listed Moonee Valley Night Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley on February 20.
He is then set to make the trip to Adelaide and is a chance of contesting the Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville on February 28 before stepping back up to 3200 metres for the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at the same venue on March 9.
“He will probably go to Moonee Valley on the 20th in the 2500 metre Listed race and then depending on how he comes through that run there is an option to go to the Group 3 in Adelaide before the Adelaide Cup or we can go straight to the Adelaide Cup,” Alexander said.
“He thrives on racing and in the spring he had four runs in about five or six weeks, so he is not soft and he enjoys his racing.”
Renew made a slow start to his Australian racing career in both the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) and Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), but he produced a strong staying effort to finish a close second in the Visit Victoria Plate (2800m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day before he took out the Sandown Cup.
