Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Jockey Aaron Bullock has backed trainer Paul Messara’s decision to apply blinkers to Know Thyself to give the promising galloper an extra edge in Sunday’s $150,000 Evergreen Turf Hunter & North West Country Championships (1400m) at Tamworth.

Jockey Aaron Bullock (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Feedback from Know Thyself’s trackwork rider and Bullock’s comments after his trials led Messara to add the shades to ensure the four-year-old is focused for a race he’s been aimed squarely at for more than six months.

Bullock and Messara combined in 2023 to win the race with Akasawa but it’s clear the popular hoop has a higher opinion of the lightly raced Know Thyself.

“He’s a very good horse, you can see what he’s done,’’ Bullock said.

“I expect him to run top three, we’re just going to need a bit of luck from that draw.

“He’ll handle any conditions, that’s an asset he’s got. If these blinkers fire him up a bit he’ll give them a good shake.”

Know Thyself hasn’t raced since he ran third in the Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast in mid-July but he’s had three barrier trials to be ready for the 1400m fresh.

While he’s sure the blinkers will be a plus, Bullock said he’s otherwise seen nothing wrong with any of his hit-outs.

“I don’t feel he’s been as sharp for mine in his trials,’’ he said.

“His trials have still been great, we’ve had the E-Trakka on him and he’s still been running 32 and 33 on the days it has been firm.

“Sometimes you can be a bit hard on horses because they don’t win their trials but I still feel his trials have been very good.”

The gelding is a $6 chance in TAB’s market on the $1m Evergreen Turf Country Championships Final and that’s without securing his place in the race.

Bullock, who has ridden Know Thyself three times for three wins, said he will need some luck from a wide barrier but is confident he’s good enough to overcome it.

“He’s off a long spell, he an Autumn Sun and his breeding suggests he’ll get 2000m so we’ve elected to go into this first-up at 1400m,’’ he said.

“I’ve got no doubt once he gets into a nice rhythm at 1400m he’ll let rip don’t worry about it.”

Messara, who co-trains with Leah Gavranich, is confident the blinkers will be beneficial to Know Thyself and, in the absence of Clear Thinking, is entitled to be regarded as the horse to beat whatever conditions prevail.

The Scone trainers also accepted with Rematch and Intervarsity while Gentileschi had to be scratched due to a minor hoof issue.

“He just hasn’t been as responsive to the rider as in previous preparations,’’ Messara said.

Know Thyself runs third in a Scone trial on February 26

“It’s probably a bit of maturity and he might be looking for more ground this time around. The 1400m first-up, blinkers on, listen he’s been set for it and I expect him to run well.

“Intervarsity has won twice on soft tracks but no worse, Rematch can handle a heavy track and is rock hard fit. He’s drawn the barrier (two) and he might end up lobbing, he’ll be right there in the finish anyway.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s Country Championships meeting at Tamworth