Trust In A Gust is top rater in Aurie’s Star Handicap nominations

Dual Group 1 winner Trust In A Gust is the top rated horse listed in the nominations for the Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Trust In A Gust heads the nominations for the Aurie's Star Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Trust In A Gust heads the nominations for the Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Also among the twenty nominations for the Group 3 Handicap are Queensland sprinter Temple Of Boom and former Perth trained Group 1 winner Ihtsahymn

The Darren Weir trained Trust In A Gust, rated 110, will be having is first run since finishing second to Red Bomber in the $150,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m) at Caulfield on April and has recovered from a minor leg injury that forced him out of the Queensland Winter Carnival.

“He’ll run in the 1200 at Flemington and then he’ll run in the first Group One, the Memsie,” Weir told AAP.

Trust In A Gust won back to back Group 1s at Caulfield during the 2014 Melbourne Spring Carnival with victories in the $400,000 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and in the $400,000 David Jones NBCF Toorak Handicap (1600m).

Veteran sprinter Temple Of Boom (105 rating) will also be resuming for the Spring but the Tony Gollan trained nine year old has only had a short break since running fourth to Srikandi in the Group 1 $2m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on June 6.

Gollan has given Temple Of Boom two barrier trials for his return and he showed he was on track for prominent showing in the Aurie’s Star Handicap with a four lengths win in an 840m Randwick trial on July 31.

Internationally performed galloper Dibayani (104 rating) will be having his for start for the training partnership of David Hayes and Tom Dabernig in the Aurie’s Star Handicap.

Dibayani started his racing career in Ireland before being transferred to Hong Kong where he has raced since December 2013 and will be having is first start since suffering a bleeding attack when last of fourteen behind Military Attack in the Group 2 HK3.875m The Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin on October 26 last year.

The Lindsay Park Team of Hayes and Dabernig have also nominated eight year old Pago Rock.

Former Perth trained Ihtsahymn (100 rating) will be having his first run for Victorian trainer Patrick Payne when he lines up in the Aurie’s Star Handicap.

Ihtsahymn was the star of the 2013 Perth Summer Carnival as a three year old when he won the Group 1 $500,000 TAB Touch – Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot.

Disposition, now under the care of Lee and Anthony Freedman, also is a former Perth star who was beaten narrowly by the Chris Waller trained Moriarty in the 2014 Kingston Town Classic.

The Reset four year old has had two runs for the Freedman’s during the 2015 Autumn Carnival for a second to Wandjina in the Group 3 $150,000 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington followed by a fourth to Watermans Bay in the Group 3 $150,000 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield.

Other notable nominations for the Aurie’s Star Handicap are the John O’Shea trained Barbed, Le Bonsir from the Mick Price stable, Shiraz from the stables of Tony McEvoy and Danny O’Brien’s Decircles.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.