Xtravagant the winner on looks
However star Kiwi sprinter faces a formidable task when he clashes with locals down the straight six today
Flemington today, which officially kicks off Melbourne's Spring Carnival, is “Sofitel Girls' Day Out” and we all know what that means.
Where the girls go, the boys follow and the best looking bloke at famous Flemington this afternoon will be a Kiwi — Xtravagant.
The handsome entire begins his 4- year- old career in the A$ 200,000 Bobby Lewis and the pressure is on. As some sage said long ago: “Handsome is [ only] as handsome does”, and Xtravagant i s out to prove his eighth in the Australian Guineas in March at his only previous transtasman start i s not a true measure of his ability.
Interestingly, he will be racing on the same strip of Flemington turf that saw him capitulate after leading in March.
Co- trainer Stephen Autridge told the Herald yesterday from Melbourne that he was not hugely confident. “He's very good at the moment, probably a fraction too good at this level.
“Damien Oliver rode him in a gallop this week and said he pulled up very well.” Because he has been left entire for an eventual stud career, Xtravagant has been excitable when taken to the track.
“He's a lot better now and as a result we've been mixing him around others horses more than we used to do.
“He'll get a bit excited when he gets to the track tomorrow, but he's a lot better than he used to be.”
The Bobby Lewis i s run down Flemington's famous straight 1200m, which will be something entirely new for Xtravagant.
Autridge is not as worried by the new experience as he is over whether Xtravagant will relax when Oliver attempts to restrain him behind horses for at least the first half of the race.
“All the form experts I've spoken to say there is almost no real pace in the race and that is a concern.”
Oliver's strength and huge experience will play a big part.
Melbourne was forecast to experience a storm Thursday night, but it did not eventuate and the heavy rain in southern Victoria yesterday was mostly north of Flemington.
“The footing here at Flemington at the moment would be firm,” said Autridge. The track manager said the track could safely take 10mm of rain without making much difference. Flemington is without doubt the best drying grass track in this part of the world.
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh was hoping for the predicted rain for his mare Sophia Rosa in the A$ 500,000 Makybe Diva Stakes after her get- back unplaced run in her Melbourne debut.
“Oh well, it i s what it i s,” said Marsh as he arrived in Melbourne at mid- day. “The bigger track at Flemington after a tight run around Caulfield will help and she's definitely gone ahead since that Caulfield race.
“She is also a lot settled in her demeanour this time around. She's still diabolical, but manageable.”
The hot favourite for the Makybe Diva as the Darren Weir- trained Black Hart Bart, who will probably shorten even further with the prospect of a dry track. Damien Oliver is on the former Western Australian.
On the TAB on both sides of the Tasman, Xtravagant is a firm $ 5 third favourite behind joint favourites Under The Louvre and Kinglike.
“The form experts I've talked to believe Faatinah will be one of the hardest to beat,” said Stephen Autridge. Faatinah is trained by the Hayes/ Dabernig partners. Victorian Oaks hopeful Eleonora is set to make her Australian debut at Geelong next Friday, according to her racing manager Bruce Perry. The Makfi filly produced an encouraging resuming run for second at Hastings last month and flew to Melbourne the following week. “She travelled over and settled in there really well. She'll probably run next Friday at Geelong. Her sole focus is the Oaks,” said Perry, who manages the interests of Eleonora's owner Lib Petagna. Champion mare Winx ran an eyecatching third behind sprinters Dothraki and Decision Time in a 1000m barrier trial at Warwick Farm yesterday. Hugh Bowman kept Winx midfield and wide early and she came down the outside to close strongly to be within half a length of the leading pair. Trainer Chris Waller used the trial to tune her up for the George Main Stakes after she missed the Chelmsford Stakes because of a heavy track. A start in the Bonecrusher Stakes at Ellerslie awaits Matamata winner Corporate Missile. The Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards- trained Smart Missile filly opened her account in Wednesday's PK Sound 1200 for stable jockey Matthew Cameron. She is nominated for the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on November 12. Rosa Carolina remains on target for the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 8 despite an unexpected defeat in Sydney on Wednesday. An easy first- up winner at Gosford, Savabeel filly Rosa Carolina was sent out a $ 2.50 favourite at Canterbury, but was narrowly beaten into second. “She'll take a lot from that,” said Bruce Perry, racing manager for owner Lib Petagna. “She'll now go to either the Reginald Allen Stakes or a stakes race in Melbourne. The Thousand Guineas is still the main aim.” An uncertain long- range weather forecast has swayed Peter McKay into a return trip to Ruakaka for Amarula. The Matamata trainer was delighted with the 4- year- old’s resuming victory on the course last time out and he will attempt a repeat performance in the New Zealand Bloodstock Finance Sprint today. “I wasn’t going to go up there again, but the weather report suggested there might be rain at Hastings for the Windsor Park Plate so I decided on Ruakaka,” McKay said. The Stolen Dance camp are confident of the mare’s return to form over her favourite trip in the second leg of the Triple Crown series at Hastings. The rub of the green went against the 5- year- old in the Makfi Stakes, but a step up in trip in the Windsor Park Plate next Saturday is expected to bring out her best. “She got knocked back early in the Makfi and she couldn’t find her feet after that,” trainer David Greene said. “It was a bit unfortunate, but I thought she got home all right at the end. She was happy enough after the race and she’s been her normal self since.” Melbourne Cup- winning jockey Michelle Payne is excited to get back to the races and says she couldn’t be happier to make her comeback on a horse she knows well. Payne will make her return tomorrow at Sale in country Victoria after trainer Henry Dwyer offered her the ride on Lucky Liberty, a horse Payne has ridden in all five of his starts. She hasn’t ridden competitively since she underwent pancreatic surgery after a race fall at Mildura in May. A vet who denies being involved in the supply of cobalt is suffering from a significant psychiatric illness and should not be forced to appear at a Victorian cobalt appeal, a court has heard. Dr Adam Matthews has been named by fellow vet Dr Tom Brennan as the supplier of bottles containing a substance called vitamin complex that Brennan gave to horses in Danny O’Brien and Mark Kavanagh’s stables. Racing Victoria wants Matthews to testify at the trainers’ appeal against their cobalt disqualifications. Matthews’ lawyer Nicole Spicer said the vet’s psychiatrist has said an involvement in the legal system in the next six months will be detrimental to Matthews’ treatment and welfare.