Crowd favourite The Cleaner showed that he is ready for a return to race track in the Group 2 $200,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 13 with a slashing Cranbourne trial win today.
The Cleaner, above is ready to resume in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Cleaner, now under the care of trainer Peter Gelagotis and his team, was having his first serious public appearance after suffering a tendon injury early in the year when he scored a six length win in the 1000m trial on the synthetic track with Steven Arnold in the saddle.
The popular front runner was previously prepared by Tasmanian trainer Mick Burles but was transferred to the Gelagotis stable after running seventh in the Listed $100,000 Launceston Mitsubishi Conquering WFA (1400m) at Launceston last December.
The stable’s racing manger Manny Gelagotis said that The Cleaner has really responded well to the rehabilitation program the stable had set in place and is ready to return to the race track.
“The good thing for Pete, the owners and all of us, is the regime we have put in place to get him back to the track seems to have been as successful as we could have hoped for,” Manny Gelagotis told G1X.com.au.
“He’s absolutely airborne, his attitude shows the zest for racing is there and Steve (Arnold) said his action felt terrific. He went as straight as a gun barrel, he said the old boy felt as good as ever, and he looks unreal.”
“Basically he has been in work since the very first day he came to our stables, he has been a great patient and thankfully adapted very well to Pete’s rehab program.”
“It is an intensive one focused on getting the horse happy to stable life and he is now treated as a fully-sound ready-to-go racehorse.”
Even though Gelagotis said that The Cleaner is primed for a bold first up performance in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes, the noted front runner’s main immediate Spring Carnival target will be the Group 2 $250,000 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 3.
The Cleaner will be searching for a hat trick of wins in the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes after leading all of the way to win the early Spring weight for age race for the last two years.
