By Neil Evans
If action speaks louder than words, two ultra-talented yet frustrating Tamworth gallopers again put their reputations on the line at Tuesday’s feature meeting at Scone.
Heading the list is lightly raced powerhouse backmarker Casino Lord who is out to snap a long run of near misses stretching back to May last year.
Scone will host the NSW feature meeting on Tuesday.Credit:Getty Images
Trained by Cody Morgan, Casino Lord has regularly charged home from the back to fill a place in deeper company, including several Highway tilts.
In fact, he’s the classic heart-in-mouth galloper, and with an ounce more luck could have won both starts in tougher races this prep at Scone and Tamworth.
Now Casino Lord slips back to a thinner BM 66 grade over 1000m on a likely heavy surface.
Meanwhile, a younger and even more frustrating stablemate is out to turn desperate fortunes around in a Maiden Plate over 1200m at set weights.
Striking four-year-old Russian Standard is still hunting that breakthrough win ahead of his seventh start, and again at a likely very short price, stretching back to February last year when he failed dismally on debut as a $2.20 shot at Gosford.
Then in the Mark Newnham stable, Russian Standard didn’t run again until late July when he finished out of a place at Kembla.
He backed up with two more indifferent runs as a hot fancy before spelling again, then returned at Kembla in mid-October where he missed by a whisker as a $1.50 favourite.
Back he went into the paddock for more rest and maturity time until resuming with a narrow provincial defeat in late February, this time as an easing favourite.
Not long after he was on his way north to the Morgan stable where after a couple of promising trial wins, he finally returned two weeks ago but went under as a $1.40 favourite at Muswellbrook.
Reportedly having worked well since, Russian Standard is likely to go off a hot favourite again for his first outing at Scone.
Standing in his way are a few impressive local rivals, headed by emerging four-year-old Rhythm Is A Dancer fourth-up, and Press Statement colt Press The Pedal who debuts behind an eye-catching trial.
