By Craig Kerry
Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan is not confident Sequista will handle what looks certain to be a heavy track at Randwick on Saturday, but after a recent setback, he is committed to running the filly.
Sequista was well fancied at Gosford two weeks ago for the two-year-old race on the standalone The Coast program, but she was a late scratching on vet’s advice after cutting a leg when getting off the float.
Sequista (second from the left) finishing fourth to Tempted in the Percy Sykes Stakes.Credit: Getty Images
“It was nothing really,” Ryan said. “She worked Monday morning, so it wasn’t anything that upset her.”
Ryan was more concerned about how she would cope with a heavy track this week. He and co-trainer Sterling Alexiou scratched her from a run on a heavy Warwick Farm track on Wednesday, and Randwick is highly likely to be similar on Saturday for the 1200m two-year-old race. The track was in the heavy range on Thursday with rain falling and more set to come on Friday.
Sequista has shown potential in two career runs, finishing third, less than a length away from winner Within The Law, in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery, then two lengths away in fourth to subsequent Golden Slipper placegetter Tempted in the group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes.
Both, though, were on good 4 going at Randwick. Ryan, however, believes she is a chance on Saturday, “if she can handle a heavy track”.
“It hasn’t shown it here at home that she will handle a heavy track,” he said. “She goes all right on soft, off her trials, but her gallops on heavy tracks haven’t been inspiring.”
Sequista (far right) runs third behind Within The Law in the Inglis Nursery at Randwick.Credit: Getty Images
However, Ryan said, “she has to run”.
“She’s gone six weeks now between runs,” he said. “She was scratched on Wednesday, but it’s got to the stage that she has to run.”
Sequista, a $100,000 daughter of D’Argento, is part of Ryan-Alexiou’s deep two-year-old ranks, which includes winners Blitzburg (Canonbury Stakes), King Of Pop (Black Opal Stakes), Skyhook (Pago Pago Stakes) and Grand Eagle. She is a $3.80 second elect with Sportsbet on Saturday with leading apprentice Braith Nock taking two kilograms off.
He said there were no targets in mind past Saturday for Sequista.
Ryan was more confident about the prospects of his other runner on the card, including First Mission, which is a $4 favourite in the 1400m Midway Handicap with apprentice Zac Wadick claiming two kilograms. The three-year-old Snitzel gelding, a $725,000 yearling buy, won his most recent start on a heavy 8 at Canterbury.
“He seems to get through it,” he said. “He’s not a big, strong, heavy horse that might struggle in heavy ground. He’s a light, athletic, nifty horse who gives the impression he handles it.
“The wet tracks he’s been on so far, he’s performed well on. Every heavy track is different, but he’s handled soft at Hawkesbury and Warwick Farm, and he handled heavy at Canterbury.
“He’s a nice horse; he’s got good ability.”
As for the Queensland winter carnival, Ryan said recently gelded three-year-old Just Party would fly the stable’s flag.
“He’ll go up and run in the Fred Best Classic on Saturday week,” he said. “He’s come back good, and he ran well first up. He’ll race there then probably go to a race at Eagle Farm a couple of weeks later, then he might go to the Winx Guineas.”
Meanwhile, Tom Moxon will take over as Racing NSW chairman of stewards from June 1.
Moxon has been deputy chairman since November 2022 to Steve Railton, who is moving into a mentorship role that will include remotely officiating race meetings via the new stewards control room at Randwick.
