Trainer Gerald Ryan has revealed that he would be happy for Red Excitement to be caught wide in the early stages of the 2015 Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Red Excitement will have the chance to record a maiden win at Listed level in the 2015 Chester Manifold Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Red Excitement led from straight to finish when he returned to racing with a narrow win over Burbero in the Drummond Golf Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on December 20, but he shown plenty of tactical versatility during his racing career to date and has previously recorded race wins from the tail of the field.
Ryan told Racing Ahead this morning that he does not believe Red Excitement will be able to match the likes of Lord Of Sky for early speed in the Chester Manifold Stakes and expects the Excites gelding to be caught wide in a midfield position in the Listed event.
“He will probably be midfield,” Ryan said.
“You have to face the fact that he is going to be three wide, but as long as he is three wide with cover.
“He is quiet an amazing horse and he seems to go better when he is covering ground in races.
“He is a horse that is out using his stride and using his action he goes a lot better than if he is hemmed up amongst them.
“We have ridden him up on the speed and from the back and provided they roll along a bit he can build up and be very strong at the end.
“The other day he drew the outside barrier and the race looked devoid of any speed and because he was fresh and well he was able to bounce straight to the front and maintain it throughout the race.
“Saturday there looks to be heaps of speed, so I can picture him midfield.”
Red Excitements finished his summer campaign last year with three straight victories, but spent over ten months away from racing after suffering a minor tendon injury when he took out the Eatability Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on February 8.
Ryan has been happy with the progress that Red Excitement has made since returning to full time training and he believes that weight-for-age racing may be the next step for the five-year-old if he takes out the Chester Manifold Stakes.
“He has come along really well,” Ryan said.
“He is a good honest horse who doesn’t know how to lay down and he really tries.
“He has progressed along good and he is just getting to that stage now where he has won four in a row now and he had 61 and a half the other day.
“If he wins on Saturday, where do you go?
“He might have to go to weight-for-age racing because he is going to get weighted out of everything.
“In saying that he has a pattern that might suit weight-for-age racing because you can ride him up on the speed, you can ride him back and he makes his own luck.”
Red Excitement is currently available at 2015 Chester Manifold Stakes odds of $4.40 and is favourite from Tried And Tired ($5), Repartitions ($6.50) and Lord Of The Sky ($7).
