Well-travelled sprinter Amorino will debut for his latest trainer Archie Alexander on New Year’s Day in the $150,000 Group 3 Standish Handicap (1200m) at Flemington Racecourse.
Amorino debuts for Archie Alexander in the 2015 Standish Handicap on Thursday at Flemington Racecourse. Photo: Steve Hart.
The Ballarat-based horseman is the third trainer to take over the preparation of the now five-year-old Amorino who was purchased for $70,000 by connections at the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sales.
The Emilio Galante-owned son of Snitzel kicked off his career with Sydney’s Gerald Ryan and won his opening two career starts before running sixth to the Gai Waterhouse-trained Driefontein in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) on the Gold Coast.
Under Ryan’s care as a two-year-old he also ran ninth behind Waterhouse’s champion colt Pierro in the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) and seventh behind Epaulette in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) in 2012.
Amorino didn’t win another race until a stable transfer saw him head west to Perth with Grant Williams.
Five runs into his first Perth preparation he broke the drought with a Bunbury win in January this year, the rejuvenated sprinter enjoying the easier WA assignments with another two wins including in the Listed Cyril Flower Stakes (1200m) at Ascot on February 8 at Ascot Racecourse.
A winner of another two Perth black types that preparation with victories in the Listed Bunbury Stakes (1400m) and Listed Grandstand Cup (1500m) in March, Amorino was last seen running seventh to Watermans Bay in the Group 3 A.J. Scahill Stakes (1400m) on December 6.
Before that he was eighth when beaten only three lengths by Elite Belle in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 22, his second last start for the Karnup-based Williams.
Now residing in country Victoria with English-born 28-year-old Alexander, who has only been training under his own license since May this year after his stint as foreman at Lloyd Williams’ Macedon Lodge, Amorino races in Thursday’s Standish Handicap.
Alexander also trains the OTI syndicated galloper Martinvast who Amorino’s owner Galante, of Scenic Blast fame has a share in.
It is this association that in part led to him training Amorino Alexander told TVN on Monday.
“Emilio thought the horse needed a country environment, he didn’t want to send him to a city trainer,” he said.
“And, that little association we had through Martinvast, he asked me would I be interested in training him. I wasn’t going to turn him down.”
The Standish is a test of sorts to see how the horse is travelling and what distances he will be best suited to over his coming preparation.
“We’re just trying to find as guide on him, where we go with him and where we stand in regard to distance,” Alexander said.
“His last run was pretty good. He just could not get a run.”
Alexander has engaged the services Steven Arnold for the Standish Handicap, the jockey having ridden Scenic Blast for all three of his Group 1 victories.
The young trainer has also welcomed back into work his Sandown Cup winning import Renew who is on track for a shot at the $400,000 Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville on the second Monday in March and or the $1.6 million Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick on April 11.
