First emergency Mighty Boss has gained a start in Saturday’s Group 1 $2m Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield following the scratching of Kiwi three year old Summer Passage.
Royal Symphony, above, remains the favourite for the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Summer Passage was prominent in the market order at single figure odds with Ladbrokes.com.au before he was withdrawn from the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas because of a wide barrier while Mighty Boss is one of the outsiders of the field at $51.
Trainer Lance O’Sullivan, who prepares his team in partnership with Andrew Scott at Matamata in New Zealand, said that Summer Passage had virtually no chance of winning after drawing the outside barrier in the capacity sixteen horse field.
“It’s just too hard from out there in a race like that,” O’Sullivan told NZ Racing Desk.
“I spoke with his owner and he’s obviously disappointed, but understood how tough it would be so we’re going back to our original plan.”
O’Sullivan will now freshen up Summer Passage for the three year old sprint races over the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival and the Snitzel colt with Hugh Bowman booked to ride will line up in the Group 3 $350,000 Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on October 18 before heading to the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 4.
“He’s got a good record over the shorter distances so we don’t think it’s a problem and Hugh Bowman will be riding him in the Blue Sapphire,” O’Sullivan said.
Summer Passage is a Group 1 winner back in New Zealand with his victory in the NZ$200,000 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in March before running second to Invader in the Group 1 $1m Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Summer Passage looked to be back to his best with a last start second to Perast, after setting the pace, in the Group 3 $175,000 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on October 1.
The Tony McEvoy trained Royal Symphony is holding his spot at the top of the market order for the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas at $4.20 with Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of the Lindsay Park trained filly Catchy at $4.60 and Godolphin’s Kementari at $5.50.
