Trainer Peter Morgan has revealed that lightly raced four-year-old Star Rolling is a chance to contest the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) at Royal Randwick on October 5.
Star Rolling will have his next race start in either the Metropolitan Handicap or the Herbert Power Stakes. Photo by: Jenny Barnes
Star Rolling return to the winners circle with a dominant victory over a strong field in the Listed Penang Trophy (1800m) at Morphettville on Saturday and Morgan told Racing Ahead that he believes that performance would have been good enough to win the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on the same day.
“If he had of run in the Naturalism I would have been backing him and I think that he is a horse that is a little bit above average,” Morgan said on RSN.
“He has come through very well and I am very happy with the horse.”
Morgan and the connections of the Casino Prince gelding are yet to decide on his next race start but both the Metropolitan Handicap and Group 3 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) are on the agenda in the lead-up to the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
“At this stage we have three options,” Morgan said.
“Whether we go to the Metropolitan or whether we go from the Herbert Power into the Caulfield Cup.
“We are still thinking about which way to go with him.”
The Whittlesea-based trainer said that he has to wait for a few of Star Rolling’s owners to return from overseas before he makes his final decision but he is clearly leaning towards the Metropolitan Handicap and believes that the progressive gelding is a chance to win the race after he was allocated just 52kg by the handicapper.
“It is a lovely weight for him and it gives us two weeks before the cup while the Herbert Power is only a week before,” Morgan said.
“He is only a young horse so I just have to careful that I don’t burn him out early.”
Morgan will be on the lookout for a new jockey for Star Rolling, in both the Metropolitan Handicap and the Caulfield Cup, as regular hoop Reece Wheeler is unable to ride the horse at such low weights.
“Reece has always had a big wrap on the horse and it might be a pity that he can’t ride him when he gets down in the weights a bit,” Morgan said.
Morgan is searching for his first win at Group level since Oasis Bloom won the 2012 edition of the Stocks Stakes (1600m).
