Group 1 winner Sizzling impressed trainer Chris Waller with his performance in a barrier trial over 740 metres at Royal Randwick this morning.
Sizzling will return to racing on February 8 in either the Expressway Stakes or the Orr Stakes. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Sizzling, who joined the stable of Waller at the end of his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign, was given a quiet trial and kept under a heavy hold by jockey Hugh Bowman to finish fourth behind Bugaboo, Snitzem and Strength.
Waller said that he did not want Bowman giving Sizzling a tough test in the barrier trial this morning, but said that he was happy with the performance of the Snitzel entire.
“I was very pleased with his trial,” Waller told TVN this morning.
“The instructions we gave to all our jockeys was the same, give them a nice quiet hit out, especially in this heat.
“I wanted to make sure they had a nice time so they will come through it well.
“Like humans, the heat can effect these horses and you don’t want them sweating all day because they worked too hard in a trial.”
Sizzling will make his debut for his new stable in February, but Waller said that he remains unsure whether the four-year-old will resume in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on February 8 or head to Melbourne for the Group 1 Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on the same day.
Sizzling was the star two-year-old performer of the 2012 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, taking out the Group 2 Champagne Classic (1200m), Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 The T.J. Smith (1600m), but has been unable to replicate that form as an older horse.
He took out the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1400m) at Eagle Farm in June last year and big things were expected of the entire heading into the spring in Sydney.
Sizzling resumed with a fair seventh behind Rebel Dane in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Warwick Farm on August 24 and he had no chance when asked to make up too much ground in the Group 3 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick a fortnight later.
He was well-backed in the lead-up to the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick on September 21, but finished a disappointing fourth behind Boban and finished his preparation with a seventh place finish in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).
