Winks confident Supido can step up in G1
The fact trainer Mick Kent has targeted emerging sprinter Supido at the Group One Goodwood is enough to give James Winks confidence.
Winks has only ridden Supido in one race for a last-start win over 1000m at Flemington and will ride the exciting four-year-old in his first Group One start on Saturday at Morphettville.
The jockey believed Supido felt the ground at Flemington and didn’t stretch out as well as he could, but he was still good enough to land his sixth straight win, beating Goodwood rival Admiral.
“He’s obviously got to take the step. It is a Group One and there’s quite a number of proven Group One performers in the race,” Winks told Melbourne radio station RSN.
“But he’s got a picket fence, and Mick Kent has targeted this race for a while. He wouldn’t just be running him in the race for fun.
“So I really look forward to riding him.”
Winks noted Kent had the option to run Supido in Saturday’s Listed Straight Six at Flemington over a course and distance at which he had previously excelled, but was happy to put him in the highest grade.
“He’s targeted this race so I’m very, very confident, without being too confident, that he can get the job done,” Winks said.
Supido is on the second line of betting for The Goodwood behind Black Hart Bart who Winks rates as the horse to beat.
Black Heart Bart has been runner-up in two Group One race this campaign and won the Group Three Victoria Handicap at Caulfield.
Winks said under the set weights plus penalties conditions, Supido probably wasn’t well handicapped against some of the proven top level performers.
But he takes confidence from the sectional times Supido has been able to reel off in some of his races.
“It’s great to know you can go into a Group One race with a horse that’s got that burst of speed, and most of the time they’re the ones that win the race,” he said.