Trainer Colin Scott is confident that Speediness can produce an improved performance in the 2014 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday after finishing a disappointing seventh in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes(1300m) at Royal Randwick on March 15.
Speediness will have his final hit-out before the Doncaster Mile in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens this weekend. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Speediness faded in the final stages of the Canterbury Stakes to finish seventh behind Appearance and Scott told Racing Ahead this morning that the son of Testa Rossa did plenty wrong during the running of the Group 1 event.
“He did everything wrong last start and still was beaten not far,” Scott said.
“It was always in the back of my mind that he was going 1400 back to 1300 and I probably blame myself a little bit; maybe I just didn’t quiet do enough.
“He began very well, but if you watch the head-on, it just seemed to take forever to get him across and get him any cover.
“He overraced badly and Damien (Oliver) said that he made a bit of noise during the run.
“We just think that he choked down a little bit in the run also, so in saying that it probably wasn’t a bad run under the circumstances. “
Scott said that Speediness had pulled up well from his tough run in the Canterbury Stakes and had worked strongly in the past two weeks.
The Caulfield-based trainer has given Speediness a couple of tough gallops ahead of the George Ryder Stakes and he is hoping that will help his star galloper settle in the early stages of the race this weekend.
“I want to make sure that he goes in not as fresh as he has been; he has had the tendency nearly every run this preparation to just be going a little hard,” Scott said.
“He did the same thing after the Crystal Mile, where he did tend to go a little hard, and we gave him a little sound-out on the Tuesday before he went round and Craig said in the Emirates he would have been happy to ride him over 2000 metres the way that he settled.
“With that in mind we have gone back to that same routine.
“He will be ridden with a tongue tie on and he will ridden cold; he will just bounce out the back to give him a chance to find the line.”
There has been plenty of rain in Sydney this week and the Rosehill Gardens track is expected to be on the slow side; with rain forecast every day this weekend.
Speediness has only had two race starts on rain affected tracks, when he won at Sale on debut and finished second in the Listed Hawkesbury Guineas, and Scott believes that any moisture in the track will enhance the winning chances of the six-year-old.
“Not at all, he absolutely loved it,” Scott said when asked if Speediness had a problem with the rain in trackwork.
“He galloped this morning on what most of the jocks were calling a slow seven on the course proper and he ran home just a tick outside 22.
“Any rain around is probably more a benefit then a hindrance.”
Speediness is currently available at George Ryder Stakes odds of $26; with Red Tracer ($3.50) a narrow favourite from stablemate Boban ($3.70).
