Co-trianer Mathew Ellerton has ruled out a start in The Everest for straight course specialist Zoutori after the five year old scored a nose win in the Group 2 $300,000 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight today.
Zoutori, above, was a nose winner in the Gilgai Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Zoutori claimed his third win down the famous Flemington straight and Ellerton is happy to keep the sprinter in Melblourne for the remainder of the 2020 Spring Carnival.
Ellerton, who trains in partnership with Simon Zahra, has all but ruled out a dream to run Zoutori in the $15m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 17 and is keen to step him up in distance with a possible start in the Group 1 $1.5m Kennedy Cantala (1600m) at Flemington on October 31.
“We tried him right handed once when he was three and it turned to porridge up in Brisbane,” Ellerton said.
“We were thinking about getting him out to a mile this prep and it is just something we will sleep on for now.”
“We are being realistic. We will stay at home in our own backyard and plot a course maybe to the Cantala, but that may change.”
Zoutori was having his second run back from a spell today and Ellerton is expecting the gelding to show more improvement with that run under his belt.
“He was probably not well off at the weights today against those better horses,” Ellerton said.
“He has done the job and that was a good space of three weeks for him from first up to second up and it was very pleasing.”
“He has a bit more to clean up in the coat and that will top him right off.”
Jamie Kah had Zoutori ($5.50 ) camped on the leaders heels and out him into clear space at the 300m and he was able to hit the line hard to record a nose win over the pacesetter Dollar For Dollar ($7.50) with Kemalpasa ($21) a close up third in a three way photo.
Everest slot holders Tofane ($3.30 favourite) and Santa Ana Lane ($5.50) finished fourth and fifth.
Tofane was the unlucky runner in the race and never found clear space until the last 50m and has drifted out in The Everest betting from $17 to $19 at Ladbrokes.com.au.
