Carey considers Caulfield back-up for Gold
Trainer Pat Carey will is weighing up options for Spur On Gold after the gelding broke through for his first win in more than a year.
Carey has accepted with Spur On Gold for Saturday’s Racing Photos Handicap at Caulfield after the four-year-old finished well from back in the field to win over the same distance at Flemington last week.
After the Flemington win Carey said it was a performance he had been waiting to see from the horse which did enough last season to earn a trip to Brisbane for the Queensland Derby.
Carey said Spur On Gold had been frustrating but the Mornington trainer is hoping his Flemington win is a turning point.
“He’s been slow to learn about racing and sometimes through being aggressive he ruined his own chances in some races,” Carey said.
“But he settled well last Saturday and that type of style will see him race more consistently, I would think.”
Saturday’s race has 10 acceptors headlined by the Darren Weir-trained import Raw Impulse who has impressed in his two Australian starts for wins at Moonee Valley and Caulfield.
Raw Impulse has been installed the $1.40 favourite.
Carey has freshened Meru for in The Jericho Cup in 2018 Handicap for three-year-olds, dropping back to 2000m after her sixth in the VRC St Leger (2800m).
“She certainly lacks nothing in residual fitness and I thought she was allowed to get too far out of her ground in the St Leger and ran home reasonably,” Carey said.
If Meru performs well, Carey said the Queensland Oaks was an option and so was the SA Fillies Classic in Adelaide on Saturday week.
Five-year-old mare Elle Excite resumes from a hock injury that has sidelined her since July in the Arvanitis Philanthropy Plate and has had two barrier trials.
She is unbeaten in lesser grade first-up.
“We gave her a good spell and with the benefit of time the injury settled down and her trial form has been good by our standards,” Carey said.