Tassie champ The Cleaner will have one more spring run before heading to the paddock and will travel to Perth for the Group 1 $1m Carlton Draught-Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on November 22.
The Cleaner will head to Perth for the Railway Stakes at Ascot. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The Cleaner has built up quite a reputation over the Melbourne Spring Carnival with his front running displays which netted him three wins at Moonee Valley, a start in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley before running third to Hucklebuck in the Group 1 $1m Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday.
Longford trainer Mick Burles had originally said prior to the Emirates Stakes that if The Cleaner ran in the first four he would consider a trip to Perth but after the front running seven year old gave his all on Saturday, he was prepared to send him to the paddock.
But Perth was back on the agenda Sunday morning when the owners gave Burles the go ahead to give The Cleaner one more run before giving him a break.
“He’s pulled up a treat and is heading to Perth,” Burles told racing.com
“The owners all changed their mind and they rang me this morning and said ‘stay there (in Melbourne) you’re going to Perth’.
“The main thing the horse has pulled up a treat. He’s licked his bin out, the horse is fine and it was the best he’s pulled up in his last four runs I reckon.
“He hardly blew a candle out when he came back into the saddling paddock, I thought he’d had enough but he’s telling me that he hasn’t so he can have another run then he can have a spell.”
The Cleaner will fly out of Melbourne on Friday for the four hour trip to Perth and Burles said there will be plenty of time to settle in to prepare for the Railway Stakes.
“It’s only a fortnight away and it’s only a four-hour trip in the plane so I don’t think that will worry him,” Burles said.
“He’s got eight days over there to recover from the trip so he’ll be fine.”
The Cleaner’s Spring Carnival Campaign gained momentum when he scored a hat trick of wins at Moonee Valley starting with a typical all the way win in a 1600m Handicap before setting the pace again in winning the Group 2 $250,000 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) .
At his next start The Cleaner was seen at his best in front again and held on to win the Group 3 $200,000 Alternate Railway JRA Cup (2040m) before running ninth to Adelaide in the Cox Plate after leading the field into the home turn.
The Cleaner’s consistent Melbourne Spring form has seen him installed as the $6 favourite for the Railway Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of local gallopers Elite Belle at $8 and Balmont Girl and Respondent at $9.
