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There is a ‘good race’ in Earl Of Sandwich at a time and place yet unknown but trainer Kristen Buchanan’s immediate focus in on him winning Tuesday’s HM Maiden Plate (1350m) at Wyong.
Earl Of Sandwich sent out some positive signs at his brief first campaign which began on an unlucky note when he was chopped out at a vital stage in a Muswellbrook maiden.
A close second at Newcastle followed before a fading fifth at Canterbury to end a most encouraging preparation.
“He was growing up during that first preparation,’’ Buchanan explained.
“He is quite a decent sized horse and every time he comes in, he is maturing and developing and improving in his work.
“I think he is a real nice ‘miler-plus’ horse in the making.
“He is still a maiden but probably, if I was going to get excited – and we will see how he comes up – but in the back of my mind, he could be a Queensland Derby horse.
“We will just start off and get his maiden race done and dusted and go from there, but he is quite a tough and tenacious horse.”
Interesting that Buchanan picked out the Queensland Derby as a long-term potential goal with Earl Of Sandwich given his pedigree.
A son of Hinchinbrook, Earl Of Sandwich’s dam is Magic In Motion who ran fourth to Dear Demi in the Doomben Roses prior to her fifth in the 2013 Queensland Oaks.
Buchanan has another of her upwardly mobile string resuming at Wyong on Tuesday in Ocean Go, who lines-up in the TAB.com.au Benchmark 64 Handicap (1350m).
Ocean Go started out life in New Zealand winning a mile maiden at Te Rapa just prior to his unsuccessful but creditable run in the Group 2 Waikato Guineas.
“His owner is from Hong Kong and he gave him to Lance O’Sullivan with a view to taking him there, but his X-rays weren’t suitable and when they realised he wasn’t going to be an export horse for them, they wanted him in Australia because of the better prizemoney here,’’ Buchanan said.
It has proven to be a fruitful decision for all concerned with a narrow city second-place and a Wyong win already on the C.V.
There is a big chance that the son of Cox Plate winner Ocean Park will remain unbeaten after if his two recent trials (third to Wanabaa each time) are anything to go by.
“He is a really good horse when fresh. He is a big gross horse and I think I am going to space his runs this preparation,’’ said Buchanan.
Buchanan has better horses in the stable than Casino Mondial, but not many of them would be as tough or genuine.
The son of Casino Prince is chasing his seventh career win in Tuesday’s Huckel Handicap (1600m).
“He probably did a little bit too much work the other day but he fought on really well in the run to the line,’’ Buchanan said.
Wagga star to step out on home track
Country Championship Finalist Another One will make a cameo appearance at the Wagga races on Tuesday with trainer Gary Colvin ticking off the days until the April 10 Grand Final at Royal Randwick.
Colvin will be a rare absentee from a home town meeting today, away on business at the Adelaide Yearling Sales hopeful of “buying another one’’, his words, and with no pun intended.
“He is going to have a gallop in between races there on Tuesday with another one of my horses and then he will trial at Wagga on the 25th,’’ Colvin said.
Four of Another One’s stablemates are in action in the Riverina on Tuesday including Mahsinger in another hotly-contested Heat of the Wagga Stayers Series (2000m).
The daughter of Al Maher is racing in a purple patch at present winning two of her past three starts, both at the 2000m, and the last one by upwards of three-lengths.
“We always said that she would need a bit of time to hit her straps,’’ Colvin explained.
“She is not a big mare but with the maturity on her side and getting to 2000m, that’s been the key because she really runs out a strong 2000m.
“It is a good field on Tuesday but she is well placed with the claim.’’
Colvin is naturally eager for the lightly-raced Sizzling Cat to score his second career win, more so given that the chestnut is contesting the Good Luck Another One Handicap (1400m).
Sizzling Cat actually raced against his Randwick bound stable companion in the SDRA Country Championship Heat and wasn’t disgraced given the circumstances.
“He went well,’ he just knocked up,’’ Colvin said. ‘
“I expect him to run some sort of race on Tuesday because he has been working well and was a bit underdone in the Heat. He was right in it until the last couple of hundred.’’
Colvin, meanwhile, is hoping Australia’s number one ranked jockey Blaike McDougall can coax an overdue but somewhat deserved win out of Kurocaine in the MTC Ladies Day May 29 Class 3 Handicap (1200m).
“The horse has been unlucky,’’ the trainer says.
“It’s not a bad race that he is in but if he gets a nice run, he could have last crack at them.’’
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