By Neil Evans
A four-year-old who hasn’t raced for nearly a year is set to reignite his career for a new stable at Monday’s Muswellbrook meeting.
Zucchero hasn’t started since a close-up but unplaced effort in a Super Maiden Hcp over a mile at Newcastle last February.
Leah Gavranich will be part of the training duo that will send Zucchero out on Monday.Credit: Getty Images
That was his third and final run for the Hawkes stable in Sydney before being forced into the paddock.
Yet, if all good things come to those who wait, his reemergence with the Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich yard at Scone can flick the winning switch.
Now gelded and having been taken along very slowly in the Upper Hunter, Zucchero resumes in a very moderate Maiden Plate over 1280m.
By staying sire Dundeel and out of a Snitzel mare, Zucchero comes off two improving 900m trials and can take rapid strides through this late summer and autumn prep.
Before all that, the stable’s Hollywood-connected three-year-old on the rise can take another step up in a Benchmark 58 Hcp over 1500m to open the meeting.
Dale, a progressive son of Cox Plate runner-up Castelvecchio, is co-owned by actor Matt Damon.
And if all goes to script, Dale can make amends for a luckless second at this track two starts back when he ran home late to miss by a nose.
He got things back on track by easily winning his maiden at Tamworth over a mile and is likely to be steered towards a suitable race over the Scone carnival in May if he makes it two straight on an 11-day back-up.
The return of warm weather will ensure the track remains well in Good range.
Stakes double the target for O’Shea
Randwick trainer John O’Shea is eyeing an interstate stakes double with three of his stars this Saturday. O’Shea, who celebrated consecutive city wins for exciting four-year-old Yorkshire on Saturday at Rosehill, will have Linebacker and Snow In May resuming in the group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Randwick. O’Shea said Snow In May would then target the group 1 Surround Stakes three weeks later. He expected Linebacker to run well, pointing to his first-up effort when fourth over 1200m in the Run To The Rose. Schwarz, meanwhile, will run in the group 1 CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield. He won the group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on January 24.
Craig Kerry
North England to skip Inglis Millennium
North England will be among the stars trialling at Rosehill on Monday after trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott decided to bypass this Saturday’s $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick. The Golden Gift winner is set to run in the fifth trial alongside fellow Golden Slipper contenders Bel Merci, Pallaton and Comedy. Bott and Waterhouse will have Cobra Club and Bellazaine in the Millennium, but North England will resume in the Silver Slipper on February 22. “I guess there was the temptation to come back to race in the Inglis Millennium, but I feel he’s one of our better colts and he’s on that Golden Slipper path and I wanted to treat him that way as such and take the traditional path,” Bott said.
Craig Kerry
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
