Speediness Chasing Back-To-Back Bobbie Lewis Quality Wins

Speediness will have the opportunity to become just the second horse in history to win the Bobbie Lewis Quality in back-to-back years when he contests the Group 3 event at Flemington this weekend.

Speediness has the chance to join Bon Hoffa as the only horse to win the Bobbie Lewis Quality in back-to-back years.

Speediness has the chance to join Bon Hoffa as the only horse to win the Bobbie Lewis Quality in back-to-back years. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Speediness started his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with an upset win over the likes of Temple Of Boom and Rebel Dane in the Bobbie Lewis Quality last year and trainer Colin Scott told Racing Ahead this morning that the Testa Rossa gelding is even further forward than he was for the race last year.

“He has had two trials going into Saturday and both have been very good,” Scott said.

“He has to carry a bit more weight than he did last year, but he is going well.

“He is up to the mark, we had to do things a little bit differently because they changed the scheduling, so last time I was able to have him a little bit less fit because I had three weeks to get him back up again.

“He normally only had one trial, but he has had two trials heading into this.

“He is pretty right on the money.

“He has a very good first-up record and he will just need a genuine tempo to be able to finish off late.”

Speediness was narrowly denied a maiden win at Group 1 level when he finished second behind Gordon Lord Byron in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 29, but was sent to the spelling paddock after finishing 11th in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.

Scott said that he was thrilled with the autumn preparation of Speediness, which also included a second place finish behind Appearance in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on February 22, and believes that the veteran gelding had plenty of excuses for his lackluster effort in the Doncaster Mile.

“We haven’t had much luck with barriers and we drew one in the Doncaster and it was probably exactly where you didn’t want to be by the time they had raced there on the heavy track,” Scott said.

“Ollie (Damien Oliver) thought that he had peaked in the George Ryder also, so we put him straight out after that and he had a good long break, which he deserved.”

Speediness will return to Group 1 level for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 28, after running in the Bobbie Lewis Quality on Saturday, and is set to contest the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 11 before potentially stepping up to 2040 metres for the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.