Yulalona
Peter Snowden will be watching his three-year-old gelding Yulalona closely over the next week as he tries to decide whether or not to bring him up to Brisbane for a Queensland Derby run.
The trainer said that he has been dissatisfied with Yulalona’s most recent starts.
“He has been a tad disappointing on face value,” Snowden said.
“He has a bit of a set back early in his preparation and I got behind myself so I have been chasing the runs trying to get him fit and I always had the Derby in mind for him.”
Yulalona finished fifth last start at Rosehill in a finish that Snowden was not at all disappointed with.
“His run at Rosehill the other day I thought was ok,” Snowden said.
“He had a nice soft lead, and then he was taken on about 800m from home, and he had a long sustained run and probably his level of fitness did not suit that particular style he had on the day.
“He is all the better for that run.”
While Snowden is confident that Yulalona could go the Derby’s distance, he wants to see the horse prove himself further before he makes his final decision.
“He will run 2000m and we will try and ride him a touch more conservatively, but he has to show me something to warrant a run in the Derby,” he said.
“I think he is going well enough but he has to make it worth our while taking him up.”
Snowden will also be close at hand as Beaded attempts to win this Saturday’s Doomben 10,000 against Hay List.
The trainer is happy with the way her preparation is going so far but feels she may not be at her prime to post an upset victory this weekend.
“She has had a little bit of time off, all-be-it only a couple of days at the farm to freshen up,” Snowden said.
“She had a nice trial last Tuesday week at Rosehill which I was happy about, but her campaign in Brisbane was to culminate in her two main targets, the Stradbroke and the Winter Stakes.
“The 10,000 on Saturday is a run that will bring her right on for the other two races even though she is coming off a little bit of a break.
“In saying that Beaded is always super competitive and the trial suggested to me that she is more forward than I think she is.”
