Whypeeo eases up on Group 1 pursuit
BRILLIANT Gold Coast three-year-old Whypeeo will stick to his age group after a back-up plan to take on Group 1 company was shelved.
Trainer Toby Edmonds had been toying with running Whypeeo in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 on Saturday week after the gelding’s runaway win at Doomben two weeks ago.
Instead, Whypeeo will run in the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) on his home track on Saturday.
“When we looked at things up it was fair enough to say three-year-old colts and geldings aren’t well off at the weights in the 10,000,” Edmonds said.
“So we have decided to take the three-year-old path at this stage.
“We can look at the Group One races at a later date.”
Edmonds said a full program for Whypeeo would be decided after the Guineas.
Whypeeo, who will be ridden by Jeff Lloyd, has drawn barrier 11 in a field of 15 for Saturday’s race.
Edmonds will have a Doomben 10,000 runner in Houtzen, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner last year.
He has trained 81.5 winners this season, which was boosted by a treble at Tamworth in northern NSW on Sunday.
Fellow Gold Coast trainer Bruce Hill will finally get his wish to try Man Of His Word over a middle distance in top company when he tackles the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on Saturday.
Man Of His Word is a stakes race winner at 1600m but due to a combination of factors has had only one start further than the metric mile.
It was in an 1800m race at Randwick last July when he struck trouble and ran fifth.
Hill is sure the five-yearold won’t be out of place in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes and the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 19.
“I have said from his very early days that 1800m to 2000m is what he is looking for,” Hill said.
“But apart from that one run in Sydney where he got lost, things haven’t fallen into place to run him over those distances.”