Trainer Daniel O’Sullivan has revealed that Tuscan Fire will head to the 2015 Australian Hurdle at Ballarat on May 31 after he runs in the 2015 Warrnambool Cup tomorrow.
Tuscan Fire has the chance to return to winning form in the 2015 Warrnambool Cup tomorrow afternoon. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Tuscan Fire has not recorded a race win since he took out the 2013 edition of the L Viney & C McKnight Handicap (1410m) at Flemington in August of 2013, but he has performed consistently without winning in the past 12 months and he was placed in the Listed Torney Night Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley on February 20 and was only narrowly beaten by Tall Ship in the Terang Cup (2150m) on April 19.
O’Sullivan said that he considered running Tuscan Fire in the 2015 Galleywood Hurdle this afternoon, but he instead opted to save the Tuscanos gelding for the Warrnambool Cup and he believes that the eight-year-old is a genuine chance in the Listed event.
“I ummed and ahhed about whether to go to the Galleywood with him because he hasn’t won on the flat for a long time as people keep telling me, but he has been very consistent,” O’Sullivan told RSN.
“I think that Tall Ship is going to be one of the hardest to beat and he just got us at Terang and I think that we meet him about four kilos better in this.
“You can get caught up in the hype of running in the Galleywood, but if you run in the Warrnambool Cup you can go to the Australian Hurdle that has been moved to Ballarat.
“That works out pretty good for us.”
Tuscan Fire made his debut over the jumps with a third place finish at Oakbank on April 7 in 2012, but he went on to record two wins over the hurdles before he finished third in the 2012 edition of The Australian Hurdle (3400m) and fourth in the Brendan Drechsler Hurdle (3200m).
O’Sullivan plans to send Tuscan Fire to the Australian Hurdle that has been rescheduled to May 31 and he said that he was extremely excited to give the veteran gelding another opportunity over the jumps.
“I ummed and ahhed about whether to go to the Galleywood with him because he hasn’t won on the flat for a long time as people keep telling me, but he has been very consistent.
“I think that Tall Ship is going to be one of the hardest to beat and he just got us at Terang and I think that we meet him about four kilos better in this.
“You can get caught up in the hype of running in the Galleywood, but if you run in the Warrnambool Cup you can go to the Australian Hurdle that has been moved to Ballarat.
“That works out pretty good for us.”
Tuscan Fire is currently available at 2015 Warrnambool Cup odds of $7 with Ladbrokes and she is on the fourth line of betting behind Tall Ship ($4), Tooleybuc Kid ($6) and Verdant ($6).
