By Ray Hickson
Trainer Joe Pride couldn’t rule out the possibility of a rare training feat at Randwick on Saturday with leading chances in all four legs of the Quaddie.
Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos).
It’s not unusual for the Warwick Farm trainer to have a strong hand at this time of year and he said his runners in each of the final four races will be genuine chances.
Pride kicks off the Quaddie with Cool Jakey the $2.80 favourite with TAB (on Thursday) in the Sydney Roosters Partners Handicap (1600m); he has In Flight as $4 favourite in the Listed $200,000 Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m); he’ll have up to four in the Singapore Pools Handicap (1300m) with Estadio Mestalla ($18), Accredited ($6, though a 50-50 runner), Headley Grange ($6.50) and Testator Silens ($19).
Then in the final race he’ll be represented by Storm The Ramparts ($4.40) with stablemate Cosmonova an unlikely runner on the heavy.
With four runners in the Singapore Pools Handicap (1600m) that was the logical race to pick Pride’s brain about and he said there’s a good chance Accredited doesn’t take his place but even if he does he'd have trouble singling one of them out.
“Wet tracks are definitely not his thing,’’ Pride said.
“He’s coming off a disappointing failure at Sandown which we figure was just racing at Sandown but I don’t want to turn him around and put him on a track he doesn’t like then have him fail again.
“I normally don’t mind having an opinion, I think this is a really tough one. All of them, and Accredited if he does go there, are going really well.
“The logical one is Headley Grange but I’d probably stay out because I do think they all have a good hope.”
Headley Grange hasn’t finished worse than second in his past seven starts and he, along with top weight and Little Dance runner-up Estadio Mestalla, is likely headed for a Big Dance eligible race at Grafton or Coffs Harbour in the coming months.
Pride has given the gelding two short trials and taken the blinkers back off for his resumption and said he’d be surprised if he doesn’t climb a bit higher this time in.
“I’ve been happy with him. You look at his overall record and he’s lightly raced enough that you would think there’s another level of improvement for this time around,’’ he said.
“He only had the blinkers on for one run last prep, I really don’t think (taking them off) it's significant. Anyone who reads anything into that is looking too hard.
“(Estadio Mestalla) trialled really well the other day. He's probably not at his best on heavy ground, he’s more than capable on it but probably the best version of him is on a soft track.
Testator Silens requires a couple of scratchings to make the field and if he does turn up at Randwick then Pride expects him to relish getting out in distance.
The gelding clocked the second fastest last 600m of the meeting in an unsuitable 1000m race when he ran 35.73 (Punter's Intelligence) as he charged into sixth place second-up from a spell.
“He’s the one that’s had the right prep, that’s what he has on the other two with the two runs back,’’ he said.
“It depends how the track plays, it’s rare this track plays the same two times in a row.”
On the back of a deserved stakes win in Brisbane, Pride sees no reason why In Flight can’t back it up in the Listed $200,000 Vinery Stud Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m).
The mare has won four of her six starts on heavy ground and five of her six wins have been at the 1100m and Pride said she can cope with whatever unfolds on Saturday.
“She’s a ripper, she’s definitely going to enjoy the ground and she’s fully fit now,’’ he said.
Cool Jakey runs second at Randwick on May 24
“The way (Randwick) raced the other day and the top up we got it’s hard to believe it won’t be heavy through the day.
“She’s very versatile, she’ll have options and there’s not too many ways that race could be run that she couldn’t overcome.”
Joe Pride on Cool Jakey (race 7): “He seems like he’s come through (last start) well. With a good claim he meets his opposition significantly better, a 5kg turnaround with Hollywood Hero. Weights aren’t everything, but over a mile on a heavy track they could mean a bit.”
On Storm The Ramparts (race 10): “He’s just a really good wet tracker. He’s a horse that’s done it a few different ways, it’s hard to know what a good barrier is going to be on a day like this so we’ll see.”
All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting