Veteran imported stayer Sanagas is set to debut for new trainer Gillian Heinrich at Eagle Farm on Saturday after he was included in the nominations for the Open Handicap over 1400 metres.
Sanagas finished tenth behind Dunaden in the 2012 edition of the Caulfield Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Sanagas has had just one race start in the past 12 months, when he finished ninth in the Koroit Cup at Warrnambool on January 5 earlier this year, but moved closer to a return to racing when he took part in a barrier trial over 1000 metres at Doomben last Tuesday alongside the likes of Itchintowin, Dissident and Teronado.
The Lomitas gelding beat home just a single runner in the barrier trial, but did enough to convince Heinrich that he was ready for a return to racing at Eagle Farm this weekend.
Sanagas made his racing debut in Germany in 2010 under the care of Peter Schiergen and performed well in five race starts in the European nation before he was sold to American interests in 2011.
The eight-year-old made his American racing debut with a seventh place finish in the Group 3 Arlington Handicap (2012m), but he quickly returned to winning form by taking out the Listed John’s Call Stakes (2615m) at Saratoga and the Group 3 Sycamore Stakes (2615m) at Keeneland before he stamped himself as a stayer to watch with a dominant victory in the Group 1 Hollywood Turf Club Stakes (2412m).
Sanagas was purchased by the now disgraced BC3 Thoroughbreds and was set for the 2012 edition of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) under the tutelage of legendary trainer Bart Cummings.
The veteran gelding made his Australian racing debut with a 13th place finish in the Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and failed to fire in both the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m), but returned to a semblance of his best form when tenth behind Dunaden in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Sanagas was positioned in the first half of the field by jockey Nick Hall in the early stages of the Melbourne Cup, but he tired in the final stages of the race to finish 18th.
He returned to the races for an autumn campaign in 2013, but did not impress in either the Listed Super Saturday Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 9 or the Listed Sky High Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 23 and he had just one start after being transferred to the stable of Ciaron Maher.
Sanagas is set to face a fair field when he returns to racing on Saturday; with talented sprinter Hidden Warrior, Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready and the in-form Little Brown Horse all included in the nominations for the $50,000 event.
