A horror barrier draw for Weary will force jockey Tommy Berry to ride the grey back in the field in the Group 2 $250,000 Optus Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Weary, above, has came up with a horror barrier in the Apollo Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
After drawing thirteen in the original draw, Weary will jump from barrier twelve in the Apollo Stakes which has been reduced to fourteen runners with the scratching of the Gerald Ryan trained Red Excitement.
Premiership winning trainer Chris Waller will saddle up numbers one to six in the weight for age feature and thought that Weary was the one to beat again after winning first up in the Group 2 $200,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on January 31.
But his confidence was dealt a severe blow when the thirteen marble rolled out at acceptance time on Wednesday.
“I thought he might be our best chance but then I saw the barrier draw,” Waller told The Daily Telegraph.
“I doubt he’ll be up on the pace. I’d say he’ll be looking for cover because we’ve done so much work to get him switched off and relax.”
“He’s the most forward of ours but that doesn’t mean he’ll beat the horses resuming.”
Waller’s other Apollo Stakes runners are Boban (Glyn Schofield, barrier 2), Foreteller (Jason Collett, 5), He’s Your Man (Blake Shinn, 7), Hawkspur (Jim Cassidy, 10) and Junoob (Tye Angland, 11).
2014 Epsom Handicap winner He’s Your Man is resuming but Waller expects the six year old to be peaking for the Group 1 $500,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm in a fortnight.
He’s Your Man won the Group 1 $500,000 The Star Epsom (1600m) at Randwick in October before getting beaten in a photo by Happy Trails in the Group 1 $1m Longines Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“He was three wide in the Mackinnon and got beaten a short half-head. He’s come back in brilliant order, has drawn well and basically he’s a good horse,” Waller said.
“He’ll still be a bit fresh for the mile but that’s the plan to keep him a run behind otherwise when he gets to the Chipping Norton he’ll be looking for 2000m.
“He didn’t kick off over 1200m because I want him to stay sharp.”
Weary at $6 and He’s Your Man at $6.50 are both well fancied in the Apollo Stakes market with Ladbrokes.com.au.
The John O’Shea trained Contributer and Group 1 winning mare Lucia Valentina both share favouritism with Weary at $6 while Carrington Stakes winner Ninth Legion is also in the market at $9.50 ahead of Silent Achiever at $10 and Boban at $11.
Waller’s other three runners are all at long odds, Foreteller at $21, Hawkspur at $31 and Junoob at $51.
