Scissor Kick was far from disgraced when fifth in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m), but jockey Tye Angland is confident that the talented colt can produced an improved effort in the 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas this weekend.
Scissor Kick has the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas. Photo by: Steve Hart
Scissor Kick started his 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival campaign with an impressive win in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 7 and was arguably unlucky in the Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Angland told Sky Racing HQ that he felt that Scissor Kick performed a little bit flat in the Hobartville Stakes, but he believes that the three-year-old is ready to peak in the Group 1 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m).
“They always had him set for the mile as his main race,” Angland said.
“First-up was not a nice surprising win, second-up he just lacked a turn-of-foot when I gave him a squeeze and obviously we were matching it with the best three-year-olds.
“We are all going to run into each other again and he was only sort of warming up in the last 100 and I received a bit of pressure from my outside and my run had closed, so as you see in the replay I went on the line standing up grabbing hold of him and we were still only beaten just under two lengths.
“I’m not saying that it would have changed any of the placings, but the distance would have been a lot closer.”
Scissor Kick will be stepping up to 1600 metres for the first time in his racing career on Saturday, but Angland feels that the step-up in trip will suit the son of Redoute’s Choice.
Angland said that Scissor Kick normally does his best work in the final stages of his races and he is hopeful that the three-year-old will savage the line when he takes on the likes of Shooting To Win and Hallowed Crown in the Royal Randwick Guineas this weekend.
“It probably looked like he showed a really good turn-of-foot over the 1200, but I think he was on really fresh legs and in most of his wins he is only at his top the last part of the race,” Angland said.
“It is his first time over a mile at hopefully 200 from home he is really hitting his straps and pulling away from them.”
Scissor Kick is currently available at 2015 Royal Randwick Guineas odds of $5.50 and he is on the fourth line of betting with Ladbrokes behind Shooting To Win ($3), Hallowed Crown ($3) and Sweynesse ($4).
