Normally it is the end of the race that has the stable pulses beating faster.For OSCAR BONAVENA at Albion Park on Saturday it will be at the start of it.
Oscar has drawn the ace gate in his last ditch bid to make the Inter Dominion Trotting Final,news that normally would be manna from heaven for a horse needing to hit top three to stay in the final fight.Not with this one.
Oscar has occasionally shown gait problems when forced to accelerate out of the gate without taking a few strides to work into his best rhythm. It doesn’t happen often but often enough to always be lurking in the backs of Mark and Nathan’s minds. And at Interdom level, most pressure usually comes on the horse with the inside gate repelling challenges from wider out to take most advantage of the ace.
But on Thursday both were optimistic that there would be no problem.
“Just the way he has been working and the way he is going into his races he seems in the right place” Mark said
“It seems big occasions cause him problems occasionally but he is very relaxed over here.I worked him yesterday and couldn’t fault him”
Nathan, who returns to Brisbane today, added that the stable may add “flip flops” to his gear to help his gait early.
“All the time he has been over there though he has been in such a good place I don’t think it will be a problem”
A safe start should mean certain qualification for the final given Oscar’s class and needing to just a first three finish. The good news about his first heat luck is that he went to the line hardly tested and will be fresh for this assignment.
Mark and Nathan had a discussion midweek however on the tactics with TREACHEROUS BABY in the Woodlands Stud Final at Alexandra Park tonight in which she has another wide gate.While her form has been below her best as she nears life as a broodmare and she has usually been at her best in “sit and sprint” situations ,the stable has decided to be flexible in its instructions to Brooke on driving tactics this week.
“We are in a difficult situation really” Nathan said
“Yes she is best saved for one run but the problem as in the heat is that Seaclusion has burned to the front and then slowed the field making it a sprint home. That makes it hard for our mare trying to catch them. So we have said to Brooke that if happens again to make an earlier move and give her more of a chance to make a race of it. There’s nothing to lose at this stage of her career.”
He is also hopeful SHEZSOFAST can make an impact in her race debut in the two year old event.
“She shapes up well.I think we will see the best of her at three. But she does it right,been working well and it is the sort of field she can measure up to. I am expecting her to go close”