Dale hoping a gear change helps Falco fly in the Highway Handicap
THE team behind talented five-year-old Falco are hoping a gear change will be the catalyst for the gelding to break through for its second Class 2 victory in the $600,000 Highway Handicap at Rosehill this Saturday.
Trainer Matthew Dale has elected to apply the blinkers after the High Chaparral product failed to win as a short-priced favourite two weeks ago at Wagga.
Despite surging late to claim second after battling early, Dale said he was disappointed that Falco could not salute as the even money favourite.
“I thought he should have won at Wagga,” Dale said.
“That’s why we’re trialling the blinkers. He has worn them for one gallop and handled himself well, but we won’t see the full effect until he is under race conditions on Saturday. “
Falco will carry 61kg into the third race on the card at Rosehill Gardens and also steps up in trip, but the gelding will benefit from apprentice jockey Nick Heywood’s 3kg claim.
The extra journey should not bother the lightly-raced runner given its solitary class 2 victory to date was over the 1400m.
Dale said Falco will be able to draw on that winning experience over the same class and distance.
“We know he can handle the weight and Nick won on him earlier in the year at Kembla Grange,” he said.
“He’s also drawn nicely with barrier four.”
Falco is not the only promising runner Dale has in the race.
On the opposite end of the weight spectrum, three-year-old filly Backless (53kg) will also line up in the Highway, but is more of an unknown commodity, given it’s only raced once over the 1200m in a fillies and mares handicap at Wagga on 21 November.
Dale believes the step up in trip will not bother the unbeaten filly.
“I thought her debut win was very sound,” Dale said.
“She sat wide and kept coming to hit the line strongly, indicating a step out in distance will be fine. She will probably be looking for further next time.”
Backless will also get a weight relief after jockey James Innes Junior’s claim, which brings the one-start-one-win filly down to 51kg.
Dale is seeking his sixth Highway title, which would draw him alongside fellow trainer Matthew Dunn at the top of the leaderboard.
While any other trainer would love to have two quality elects in the same race given what is at stake as a trainer, but Dale said he does not usually like to go head-to-head with stablemates.
“We try and split our horses but it’s not such a problem to have multiple runners in a race like this,”