Trainer Jason Warren believes that Bel Sprinter could not have drawn a worst barrier in the 2014 The Goodwood barrier draw yesterday and said that his star sprinter needs to overcome his barrier problems to be any chance in the Group 1 event at Morphettville this weekend.
Bel Sprinter is chasing his first race win since he took out the 2013 The Galaxy in outstanding fashion. Photo by: Steve Hart
Bel Sprinter has been slow out of the gates countless times during his racing career and Warren has tried a variety of different methods to help the son of Bel Esprit jump cleanly.
Warren told Racing Ahead that Bel Sprinter will wear a blindfold in an attempt to trick him into thinking that he has just entered the barriers and the Mornington-based trainer is desperately hoping that it will help the six-year-old jump with the rest of the field in The Goodwood on Saturday.
“He has a bit of weight and he needs to leave the barriers well from barrier one, which looks to be the worst barrier he could have drawn,” Warren said.
“He will wear a blindfold in the barriers and we will put that off just before the barriers open.
“It just sort of helps trick him into thinking that he has just done in; he is not a horse that is scared of being in the barriers and he always jumps well at the jump outs because he is not in there long.
“We are trying to replicate that.
“He is a very frustrating horse and if he can jump well and posy him he will be in the finish.”
Bel Sprinter has not scored a race win since his dominant victory in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens last year, but Warren feels that the Group 1 winner is still racing quiet well and said that the gelding failed to handle the rain affected tracks in both The Galaxy at Rosehill Gardens on March 29 and the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.
“I think that the horse is still going quiet well,” Warren said.
“The hard thing is that the T.J. Smith was absolutely no guide on the horse, Craig Newitt told me that he thought it was one of the heaviest tracks he has ridden on in Australia, and our horse didn’t get through it at all.
“It was quiet a wet track at Rosehill in The Galaxy, but nowhere near as bad and he just got through that.
“He was very good in the Challenge and if he brings that run to Saturday he will be in the finish.
“I put the blinkers on him this start, he has never wore blinkers before, and I am looking forward to that.
“He had a little jump out last week in the blinkers and he was good there and running good time.
“I am really happy with his fitness and I think that he is spot-on.”
Bel Sprinter is currently available at 2014 The Goodwood odds of $16; with Sistine Demon ($7) and Driefontein ($7) narrow favourites from Platelet ($7.50) and Miracles Of Life ($7.50).
