Alexander confident Lord Fandango will handle short turnaround

Lord Fandango wins at Benalla
Lord Fandango wins the Benalla Gold Cup with Jordan Childs onboard. (David Thorpe/Racing Photos)

BALLARAT trainer Archie Alexander is confident Lord Fandango will handle the short turnaround ahead of Saturday’s Cup meet.

The German import – which ran fourth in Saturday’s Zipping Classic – will run just seven days later in the Ballarat Cup.

Online bookmaker Sportsbet has Lord Fandango as a $13 outside for tomorrow’s Ballarat Cup, but the trainer is confident his six-year-old can deliver a strong performance in the feature.

“If you look at his form, his best performance of his life came on the back of a seven-day back-up, when he ran fourth in the Caulfield Cup. We’re hopeful that the seven-day back-up can do the same trick and the advantage of the home track, as it saves another travel for the horse,” Alexander told RSN.

Lord Fandango has drawn barrier 15 for the Ballarat Cup, but he will come into barrier 14 after early scratchings.

Alexander, while not overly enthused about the draw, doesn’t think it will interfere with race tactics.

“Barrier 15 is not ideal, but we will push forward and be quite confident.

“He’s coming back from 2400 metres, which he sees out easily and is back to the 2200 metres, so there is no question mark about stamina.

“There is no point waiting around and making it a sprint home, he should be in the first five or six and he should use the stamina he’s got and start building it up from the half way mark of the race.”

When asked about Lord’s man dangers, Alexander was forthright.

“I actually like the mare from Sydney (Luvaluva), she was beaten half a length in the Matriarch which is good form and Kiwia. I think he’s an older, tougher horse, he won’t be far away with a very good trainer and a very good jockey,” the trainer said.

“They look the two horses to beat. If you look at the Ballarat Cup two or three years ago, it’s safe to say Lord Fandango would be winning them easily.

“This year it’s a tough, big field and all credit goes to the Ballarat Turf Club for putting on such good prizemoney and surface to race on.”

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