Edmonds needs Houtzen to shine
Mare must lift for Everest
GOLD Coast trainer Toby Edmonds needs three- year- old filly Houtzen to win the Scarborough Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night easily to justify starting in The Everest.
“She needs to perform on Friday night. If she wins poorly she won’t be going. If she wins and smashes them then we’ll be going,” Edmonds said.
“She needs to put the foot down otherwise she’s not going to run.”
Houtzen will be reunited with champion Brisbane- based jockey Jeff Lloyd, who rode her in her first five starts, which included four wins highlighted by the Magic Millions win at the Gold Coast in January.
Lloyd came to Moonee Valley yesterday to ride her in trackwork and he said she had never looked better.
Houtzen wore blinkers yesterday and she gave stayer Berisha four lengths start before reeling him in the straight.
Edmonds said he would decide at acceptance time whether Houtzen would wear blinkers on Friday night.
Edmonds said Lloyd knows how to ride Houtzen as he knows she needed to be pushed along in the early stages.
Lloyd said he had not ridden at Moonee Valley since 1990.
At her last start when she finished third in the McEwen Stakes, she was ridden by Craig Williams, who Edmonds suggested didn’t ride her as he wanted her to be ridden.
Edmonds said he expected Houtzen to run well on Friday night and he opted for the Scarborough Stakes over 1200m instead of the 1000m Moir Stakes.
“The Everest is her goal so she needs a 1200m run before tackling that,” he said.
Lloyd will also ride her in The Everest and said he had reduced his weight to 52.5kg in recent weeks.
Russian Revolution, who will tackle the Moir Stakes, had a gallop at Moonee Valley also yesterday morning.
Paul Snowden said the winner of the McEwen Stakes had trained on well and would be ridden by Hugh Bowman.
Snowden said their three colts who contested the Golden Rose, Pariah, Dracarys and Assimilate, would probably all be spelled and miss the Melbourne Spring Carnival.