Premier trainer Chris Waller will use Saturday’s Listed $100,000 Motor Traders Association Premier’s Cup (1800m) at Rosehill to hone in on the racing manners of Stout Hearted for future big Spring Carnival assignments.
Stout Hearted's racing manners will be worked on in the Premier's Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart
Waller is mindful of the fact that the longer the distances become the better Stout Hearted will be and the imported gelding also has to improve his racing manners to be competitive in a race like the Group 1 $400,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 6.
“He still over-races a touch and you don’t win good races doing that so I’ve purposely kept him back all preparation,” Waller said.
“He’s still working well and obviously he’s got good form.”
“He needs to be running in these shorter races to get his ring-craft right.”
Waller has decided to put the ear muffs back on Stout Hearted to see if that helps the gelding settle better in his races after he showed signs of over-racing when winning the $85,000 Club Liverpool Premier’s Cup Prelude Handicap (1800m) at Rosehill on August 18.
Jockey Nathan Berry added to the argument saying that Stout Hearted pulled hard when he was unable to get cover at Rosehill.
“The field was stretched out, Madam Nash went quite hard out front, and I was one off the fence facing the breeze the whole way and he pulled quite hard which he has a habit of doing,” Berry said.
“He worked himself the whole way and didn’t get a cart into the straight.”
“He did all the work in the race and still won quite well without riding him hard.”
“He’s having his fifth start over 1800m and once he steps past 2000m you’ll see a real racehorse.”
Berry is looking for his fourth win on the five year old after victories at Rosehill twice and Canterbury once and is looking forward to the import giving him his first Group 1 victory.
“I’m thinking that he should be too good for them again, he gives you that confidence as soon as you get on his back,” Berry said.
“Even though his win didn’t look overly impressive last start he still felt quite well and I think he is definitely the class runner in the race.”
Some brother rivalry has emerged in the lead up to the Premier’s Cup with Nathan’s twin Tommy claiming superiority on the Gai Waterhouse trained Glencadam Gold.
Stout Hearted heads the pre-race betting at $2.40, but Tommy Berry’s mount Glencadam Gold is breathing down his neck at $3.70.
Glencadam Gold scored at his first Australian start for Nash Rawiller when he raced up with the leaders and Berry thinks if he can get his own way in front, the Caulfield Cup hopeful will be hard to run down.
“There doesn’t look to be much pace so I’ll be looking to use his natural speed,” Tommy Berry said.
“I don’t want to touch him at all though, he can get a little fired up. I think it is going to take something pretty good to beat him, especially when Gai is talking Caulfield Cup’s.”
“I worked him about a week and a half ago with Julienas and he had his measure pretty easily, he is going pretty good the horse.”
Nathan agrees with Tommy that with not a lot of pace in the race, the conditions will suit Glencadam Gold better, but he has full confidence in his mount.
“There is a little bit of a lack of pace, it is probably my only worry, I’m not worried about his ability, I think he is too good for them,” Nathan said.
“The main thing will be to just switch him off, get him travelling nicely, so he can use that great turn of foot.”
“If he gets the right run, I’m hoping he will be too classy for them, you would want to hope so with the things that are in the pipeline for him.”
