I AM WAR READY FOR BATTLE
CRANBOURNE trainer Trevor Andrews has no fear about I Am War being engaged in a 1000m drag race with favourite Midwest in Saturday’s
$175,000 Apache Cat Classic.
“He’ll (Midwest) want to be in it for the long haul, because we are,” Andrews said.
“We’re there to be competitive.”
I Am War ($6) has won four of his past six runs, including three on the bounce, but is at double the price of Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained $2.90 TAB favourite Midwest.
Andrews credited I Am War’s progression from restricted benchmark 58 first-up win at Moe to being second favourite in an open handicap sprint six starts later to a shift to GPS tracking technology.
Having seen stables such as the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace juggernaut succeed with sports science sparked him to delve into the data discipline.
He has reaped the rewards of his investment in heart rate monitors and fortnightly sessions with personal data coach, provided by Arioneo, maker of Equimetre.
“Where I was overtraining before, possibly under-training, now I know exactly where my horses are at,” Andrews said.
“When he ran at The Valley (last start) he was four weeks between runs and it was a pretty hot field, I based everything off the Equimetre.
“I know he’s fit, I know he’s ready to go, now whether he runs into one that’s better than him (on Saturday), well that’s yet to be determined.
“It’s not going to make (horses) faster, they are what they are, but what it does do is tell you whether they’re ready.”
I Am War will be six weeks between runs Saturday due to a foot abscess, which emerged after his all-the-way 2.3 length 1200m romp at The Valley.
The drop back in distance should not be an issue either based on his sectionals and performance data logs.
“Midwest is going to be the one to watch out for, but going over the times at The Valley he (I Am War) would’ve been really hard to beat over 1000m,” Andrews said.
“He continues to surprise me with how explosive he’s become . . . I think it’s really hard at the start for other horses to keep up with him.”
Jockey Carleen Hefel boasts a perfect (4-4) record aboard I Am War.
“The horse likes to be loved, he likes the affection and she gets on and pats him, and talks to him, and she reaps the rewards,” Andrews said.