Latest News

By Ray Hickson

In an ideal world trainer Maddy Sears wouldn’t kick off Yellow Brick’s Epsom campaign on a heavy track but she says he won't be lacking in fitness and is looking for a positive return from the last start Group 1 placegetter at Randwick on Saturday.

The Stradbroke runner-up has tackled a heavy track four times in his career and, interestingly, they’ve all been at 1200m and three of them first-up and he's yet to miss a place.

So while it’s not ideal Sears said the gelding will get his chance to perform in the Group 3 $250,000 Hyland Race Colours Show County Quality (1200m).

“We don’t think he’s the same on a heavy, we think he’s way better on top of the ground, but there’s not a lot for him to race in apart from this weekend,’’ she said on Sky Sports Radio.

“If it was 1350m or 1400m the wet track would probably hinder him a little bit but we’re confident with the horse we are bringing down that’s for sure.

“Especially with the form that has now come around the Stradbroke.”

Yellow Brick, $11 with TAB on Wednesday, hasn’t raced since he split War Machine and Private Eye in the Stradbroke back in June but Sears, who co-trains with her father Tony, said he’s had a solid grounding.

Yellow Brick wins a trial at Gold Coast on August 12

He trialled twice in the space of seven days, with Andrew Mallyon in the saddle, and had another day out at the races last weekend.

“The horse is very fit and going exceptionally well, we think he’s going better than before he raced in the Stradbroke,’’ she said.

“Just the way he trialled the other day was absolutely enormous. I don’t think dad and I have seen him trial as well.

“He had an exhibition gallop at Beaudesert on Saturday with another horse of ours, and he galloped phenomenally.”

What Sears has learned from travelling the six-year-old to Sydney previously is that it’s best not to keep him away from his routine for too long so he’ll head back to Queensland after Saturday.

His last Sydney trip realised a fourth in the Five Diamonds Prelude and third in the $2 million Five Diamonds last spring.

She said the plan is to trial him again before returning for the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) next month and then another road trip into the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m).

“The best thing with him is to bring him home, not leave him down there,’’ she said.

“When he was down there last time he relaxed probably too well and got away from us a little bit.

“He thrives off coming home and getting him back into his routine. He’s not a horse that really loves being in the paddock, he loves being the centre of attention.”

Yellow Brick is a $26 chance in the TAB Epsom run on October 4.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting