Perth beckons sprinter
UNCOMMON JAMES SET FOR QUOKKA TILT
FAIRYTALE Brisbane sprinter Uncommon James will dodge the TJ Smith Stakes and instead head to Perth, with connections confirming they are finalising negotiations with slot holders for the $4m The Quokka next month.
Co-trainer Matt Hoysted, who trains in partnership with Steve O’Dea, said his Group 1 winner, who was unlucky not to win The Galaxy on Saturday, was not yet ready to mix with the world’s best sprinters at weight-for-age conditions, leaving The Quokka (April 15) as the most attractive option. Despite all but ruling out the $4m feature after his breathtaking win in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) last month, Hoysted said a number of hard-to-refuse offers have come his way since.
Uncommon James was bred by Hoysted’s wife Caitlin in the tiny town of Cooroy, near Noosa, and races in her Lavin Park butchers stripes.
“We changed our mind, we are going to The Quokka,”
Hoysted said. “We are in discussions with a few slot holders but we will come to a decision with all of that in the next 48 hours.
“He is going to head over there, we don’t want to test him against the real big guns at weight for age just yet, we think he is going to be better in six months.
“It is weight-for-age conditions (1200m) over there obviously, but you’d expect it to be a lesser field than the TJ (Smith). After the Oakleigh Plate it seemed unlikely, obviously the money is the incentive but we also don’t want to throw him in the deep end just yet.
“He showed his inexperience a little bit on Saturday, he showed he wasn’t quite ready to be taking on the big boys at level weights.”
As a two-time winner at Eagle Farm, Ascot’s rock-hard track was also a major attraction for connections, with a number of eastern raiders typically struggling on the surface.
Uncommon James has been well supported in futures markets for the race, despite not yet having a slot, and is rated a $5 chance behind Amelia’s Jewel ($3.50) and Coolangatta ($4.50), who is all but certain to miss the race and head to Royal Ascot instead.
Hoysted confirmed his gun sprinter would miss the Brisbane winter carnival as a result, with an eye towards
gaining a slot in The Everest during the spring instead.
“We are trying to look six months ahead with him, we chose Perth over the Brisbane winter to allow him to have a good break,” he said.