Outside gate to test Dollar

LOCAL breeder Bill Cockram expects to learn plenty about five-year-old Dollar For Dollar at Flemington today.

The highly regarded Tony McEvoy horse will be ridden back from a tricky barrier 17 by Jack Martin in the $60,000 Jockey Celebration Day Plate (1600m).

Dollar For Dollar has raced on the pace in his six starts for three wins and a second.

But connections are keen to see him go back and get cover rather than being caught in an awkward position if things don’t work out.

“Tony McEvoy has decided to ride him quieter. From the wide gate, we did think about scratching the horse, obviously,” Cockram said.

“But we decided we would run him and teach him a few things. I’m not saying he can’t win but we will be learning a fair bit from this.

“If he decides to settle, which is the big question, then I think he will be steaming home. But if he over-races then he will probably bring himself undone a little bit and they will have to let him have his head.

“That’s the plan, so we will see what happens. Fingers crossed he puts it all together and runs well.”

Cockram bred Dollar For Dollar out of star mare Pretty Penny, dam of the Group winner Sertorius.

It makes the High Chaparral gelding a three-quarter brother to Geelong’s most recent Melbourne Cup runner.

Dollar For Dollar is also owned by locals Peter Mullen and George Medved.

Connections hope the lightly raced five-year-old can run in black type company this spring.

But to do that he will need to put in a good performance today. “He certainly has the ability, he has shown the ability that he is black type,” Cockram said.

“These are the types of races you’d expect to just win, but it’s never as easy as that. We need to know a bit more from the horse.

“He needs to come out and win or run a slashing race for us to get excited.

“He’s showing that (potential), but what they do on the training track isn’t necessarily put together on race day.”