Trainer Gerald Ryan is confident that talented gelding Koroibete will be tough to beat in the ATC Membership On Sale Now Handicap (1800m) at the Randwick Kensington track on Saturday.
Koroibete will step up to 1800 meters for the first time in his racing career in the ATC Membership On Sale Now Handicap at Randwick on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Koroibete, who is part owned by Wests Tigers players Chris Lawrence and Robbie Farah, is yet to produce a poor performance in his racing career, but is still learning how to race properly and has done plenty wrong in his five starts.
The Kheleyf gelding bombed the start in the Liberty International Underwriters Plate (1200m) at Royal Randwick on May 25 earlier this year but ran home strongly to finish third behind Dowdstown Charlie and Everage.
Koroibete once again had problems in the barriers and lost ground in the Local Greengrocer Plate (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens before storming home in the final stages of the race to record his maiden race win.
After a stint in the spelling paddock, the three-year-old returned to the races in the AMWU National (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 2 and cost himself victory by missing the start by three lengths but returned to the winners circle with a narrow victory over Imperil in the Bacardi Together Handicap (1350m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 16.
Koroibete worked home strongly to finish third in the Blackwoods Bosch Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens just under a fortnight ago but Ryan told Racing Ahead that the 1500 metre race was too short for the classy gelding.
Ryan has decided to step Koroibete up to 1800 metres for the first time in his racing career at Randwick on Saturday and believes that the three-year-old has the talent to mature into a strong stayer in the next 12 months.
“He is a nice three-year-old and I have a lot of time for him; he is a big strong horse and his coat looks really good now,” Ryan said.
“The 1500m was a tad short for him third-up and I was going to go up to 2000 metres but they shortened this race right down to 1800 metres, which I think plays in his favor.
“He, in time, could measure up to be a really nice stayer and he will be very hard to beat on Saturday.”
Ryan is set to have three runners at Randwick on Saturday; with Believe Yourself a chance of making her racing debut in the $250,000 Inglis Nursery and imported galloper Martinvast to contest the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m).
