Linton Tops Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Weights

Reborn sprinter Linton has been included in the nominations for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and is set to carry the top weight of 58kg in the Group 1 event at Caulfield on Sunday.

Linton will be returning to the races for the first time since his memorable win in the Stradbroke Handicap.

Linton will be returning to the races for the first time since his memorable win in the Stradbroke Handicap. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Linton joined the stable of John Sadler after he was cast aside by Lloyd Williams at the end of the 2011 Spring Racing Carnival and Sadler has done a remarkable job turning the plodding stayer, who finished 21st in the 2010 Melbourne Cup (3200m), into a Group 1 winning sprinter.

The Galileo gelding finished his 2013 Autumn Racing Carnival campaign with three straight victories in the Listed Holdfast Insurance Handicap (1400m), Group 3 R A Lee Stakes (1600m) and the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and Sadler is confident the seven-year-old can record another win at the highest level of racing this weekend.

“He’s had three fresh wins with us and, hopefully, another one on Sunday,” Sadler told AAP.

“Hopefully, they will be lying down in the last 200 metres and he’s the one getting over the top of them.”

Sadler has already plotted the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival path for Linton and the versatile grey will step up to a mile after he runs over 1400 metres on Sunday.

He will head to Moonee Valley on October 26 for the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) and contest the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 9 before heading overseas for the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on December 12.

“His campaign is spread out over a period of time,” Sadler said.

“He’s a horse that likes his races nicely spaced.”

The 2013 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is set to be a very competitive race with a number of Group 1 winners included in the final field.

Solzhenitsyn (57.5kg) and Ferlax (56.5kg) will head into the race as fancied chances, after their impressive first-up performances in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Memsie Stakes respectively, while sprinter Rebel Dane (55.5kg) will be looking to bounce back to his best form after his disappointing performance in the Group 3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Royal Randwick three weeks ago.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.