By Neil Evans
Four-year-old Cassiel and three-year-old Admitted return for their first runs as geldings for two of the biggest stables in Australia at Hawkesbury on Thursday.
Cassiel, which is by Irish flyer Harry Angel and is in the Peter Snowden yard at Randwick, lines up for his fourth start in a benchmark 64 over 1100m.
Racing returns to Hawkesbury on Thursday with a seven-race card.Credit: Jenny Evans
Cassiel was an impressive debut winner at Wyong in March but lost his way in two subsequent runs before being spelled.
A decision to geld him and introduce several gear changes looks to have flicked the switch, judging from the way he bolted in in the second of two trials, running a fast 33.16 seconds for his final 600m, and leaving listed-winning mare Commemorative in his wake.
Drawn right alongside at Hawkesbury is smart Godolphin sprinter Admitted, which has not started since finishing down the track as favourite in the group 3 Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington late last spring. By Brazen Beau, Admitted was given plenty of time to develop and mature, and he has also looked the goods in two forward trials since being gelded.
In what is an open meeting likely to be run on soft ground with rain forecast on the day, several smart customers resume their careers chasing bigger targets in late spring and early summer.
One of the more intriguing is Force Red, which is a talented colt by Cosmic Force. He returns for his second start in a Super Maiden Plate over 1000m almost a year since he debuted in the group 3 Breeders Plate at Randwick.
He was part of the Snowden stable then but is now under Ciaron Maher at Warwick Farm, with top jockey James McDonald in the saddle. Bookmakers didn’t hesitate to open Force Red $1.90 favorite, after two smart trials.
