By Ray Hickson
Trainer Damien Lane has his fingers crossed that the owners of consistent mare Veravino can be rewarded with an overdue win at Hawkesbury today.
The five-year-old has only raced eight times since making her debut back in December 2021, and while she’s recorded four placings the fact she’s been so sparingly raced tells you there have been a few speed bumps.
Hawkesbury will host a seven-race meeting on Wednesday.Credit: Getty
Veravino has been placed in two of her three starts since she bled in a race at Scone last May and Lane feels the XXXX Gold Midway Handicap (1100m) is her best chance this preparation.
“She’s had a few little issues along the way,” Lane said. “She’s had some knee problems, she bled once and had to be spelled. So she hasn’t really had every opportunity but this preparation she’s been doing everything right.
“It’s probably the most suitable race she’s found for a while, I would have thought.”
Lane prefers to keep Veravino a little on the fresh side but a five-week gap going into her last start second behind Reasonable on her home track on Australia Day might have found her out. That won’t be an excuse this time around.
“I thought her run at Wyong was really good,” Lane said. “The rail was out, the winner led on the fence, and we drew wide and sat outside.
“She probably did look like she had it covered, but she was a bit longer between runs that time and probably peaked on her run a bit. So back to the 1100m is a positive. We’ll roll forward and maybe sit outside lead, and she should get her chance.”
A bit of rain around this week will give Pluckten his chance to stage a form reversal after finishing last at his second run back from a spell, at Wyong’s The Lakes race meeting.
While he was a little outclassed in that Benchmark 72 Saturday grade race, the four-year-old will strike suitable conditions in the Richmond Club Handicap (1400m).
“He pulled up quite jarred up after his last run, it was pretty hard that day and he didn’t stretch out at all when the gates opened,” he said. “You need to put a line through that, we’ve learned you’ve got to just run him on the softer tracks.”
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
Autum Glow gears up for Surround Stakes
Craig Kerry
Unbeaten filly Autumn Glow returned with a quiet trial at Warwick Farm on Tuesday as trainer Chris Waller takes aim at a first-up assignment in the group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on March 1.
Autumn Glow galloped in the 900m group-class trial under a tight hold from James McDonald to finish sixth in a heat won by Golden Mile.
Autumn Glow easily won her first three starts, including in the group 3 Up And Coming Stakes and the group 2 Tea Rose Stakes, in the spring.
Waller plans to trial her again in the hope of having her ready for the three-year-old fillies feature.
Waller-trained Golden Slipper favourite Wodeton also trialled on Tuesday, coming from back in the field to finish fourth.
Snowden to roll Slipper dice on Gambler
Craig Kerry
Trainer Peter Snowden was weighing up a run in the Silver Slipper with Gambler after another eye-catching trial on Tuesday at Warwick Farm.
The Capitalist colt ran three wide up front from the outside gate before kicking clear to win the 790m 2YO trial by three-and-a-quarter lengths in the fastest time, and last 600m (33.05 seconds), of the day on a heavy 8 track. He won a trial at Randwick two weeks earlier by six lengths.
Gambler faded to finish sixth in his only start, in 1000m listed company at Flemington in October.
“They are only short trials, so I’m not getting too carried away,” Snowden said. “He’s quick, but he’s not a big horse so I don’t think there’s a lot of scope there. He may go to the Silver Slipper, but we’ll just see.”
