A FOX ON THE RUN TOWARDS DOOMBEN
PAUL Snowden quipped he could cry if he watched a replay and studied the sectionals of Signore Fox’s last run when charging home from the back in the $1mn The Hunter at Newcastle.
As the southern invaders start their march towards the Brisbane summer carnival, the Snowden runner is primed to strike in the Group 3 George Moore Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.
Dual Group 1 placed in the winter carnival in the Stradbroke Handicap and Kingsford-smith Cup, Signore Fox has run three successive fifth placings since resuming in October.
Paul Snowden, who co-trains with his dad Peter, said Signore Fox shouldn’t be the forgotten horse at $14 in Saturday’s George Moore.
“There’s those Group 1 placings he has got and also the fact he’s been flying well under the radar in his three runs back,” Snowden said.
“I know he has three fives (fifth placings) next to his name back from a spell but I didn’t want to look at the The Hunter sectionals as they would make me cry.
“He was spotting the winner (Lost And Running) 10 or 12 lengths coming for home and got beaten a bit more than three lengths.
“It needs a big effort to run good quality horses down and take that much ground off them, it’s very hard to do when they are up controlling some sort of speed in the first three pairs.
“Signore Fox is a little bit forgotten. He has been thrown in at the deep end all this campaign down here in Sydney, you can’t race against much better horses without running in the Group 1s.
“It’s a good form line to be going into a race like this on Saturday in
Brisbane.”
Snowden would be reluctant to race Signore Fox on a heavy Doomben track but the signs are the surface will be soft on raceday so he will take his place.
The same is true for the other Snowden runner at Doomben on Saturday – filly Najmaty who lines up in the Listed Mode Stakes.
Three-year-old Najmaty has not won since bursting on to the scene with a pair of wins – including a Stakes victory – to launch her racing
I didn’t want to look at the The Hunter sectionals as they would make me cry. Paul Snowden
career earlier this year.
Najmaty will wear a barrier blanket for the first time on Saturday in a bid to improve her manners at the start.
The filly was last seen bungling the start when running 11th in a Group 3 race at Flemington.
“She had been running well without winning, her last start effort at Flemington was very good,” Snowden said.
“She missed the kick hopelessly, but she has got a barrier blanket now that she has trialled with at home.
“She has just been doing those little things wrong in the barriers and that’s what she did at Flemington.
“Pet a pen through the Flemington run, she is a stakes winner in her own right whereas a lot of these are trying to break through.”