Trainer Gary Portelli has revealed that Sebring Sun will be settled at the tail of the field in the 2015 The Rosebud at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
Gary Portelli is happy with Sebring Sun heading into the 2015 The Rosebud at Royal Randwick tomorrow. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Sebring Sun returned to the races in the TAB.Com.Au Handicap (1200m) at Canterbury on July 29 and he showed an impressive turn-of-foot to fly home in the final stages of the race to claim his maiden race win.
Portelli told Racing Ahead this morning that he has no plans to change the racing pattern of the Sebring colt in the 2015 edition of The Rosebud and he believes that the three-year-old is not effect when he is ridden forward in the early stages of his races.
“That was always going to be the big worry for me,” Portelli said of Sebring Sun’s first-up win.
“He was going to need a lot of luck and he was going to need to be every bit as good as what we were hoping to win and it basically just all worked out nicely for him.
“All of his best runs have been when he has come from well back and he has to switch right off.
“He has an amazing turn-of-foot and that is the only thing that I am worried about tomorrow because the small field may play against us.
“When he is ridden on the speed, he just wacks away in the straight and he doesn’t find.”
While Portelli believes that Sebring Sun will need some luck in running to take out The Rosebud, he could not be happier with the physical condition of the Golden Rose hopeful heading into the Listed event.
The Warwick Farm-based trainer said that Sebring Sun has strengthened significantly during his stint in the spelling paddock and he is hopeful that the colt can now live up to his potential during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
“He has strengthened and hopefully he is ready to produce what he promised as an early two-year-old,” Portelli said.
“We are very excited about his chances tomorrow.
“This year looks like it is going to have a stellar bunch of three-year-olds and it is going to be hard to win one of these good races.
“He is going to have to step-up again after his win the other day, but we couldn’t be happier with him and his work on Tuesday was spot-on.
“He is right on target.”
Sebring Sun is currently available at 2015 The Rosebud odds of $4.20 and is on the second line of betting behind Sires Produce Stakes runner-up Rageese ($2.70).
