Mr Exclusive out to break drought
Mr Exclusive heads to Sandown on Saturday for the second run of his campaign in the ive > Handicap (1400m), a heat of the Winter Championship.
In 14 runs since Mr Exclusive was last successful, he has finished in the placings on four occasions but has collected a prize money cheque in 13 of those outings.
Trainer Matthew Brown said Mr Exclusive has been plagued by issues over the past couple of years.
"He's pretty consistent and he gives you something to cheer about every time he goes to the races and as a trainer and owners, we're pretty happy with that," Brown said.
"He's had a wind op and he's a typical Magnus with his knees and his fetlocks, he's not been the soundest horse and he has the Magnus feet that go with it as well.
"But we seem to have it all in good shape at the moment and he proved that first-up."
Mr Exclusive resumed finishing fourth in the Listed Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington on May 13.
That was the gelding's first run at 1200m since making his debut at Caulfield back in April 2018.
"I've been wanting to run him over 1200 metres again for a quite a while, but Beau Mertens and Brian Higgins thought he might not be sharp enough," Brown said.
"I thought maybe down the straight at Flemington he might be where they go a bit steadier, and it turned out that he was sharp enough as he raced a little closer than we thought he would.
"I tipped him to the owners to have a good place bet on him because I thought it wouldn't be a shock if he lobbed as we thought he was going as good as ever."
While Saturday's race is a heat of the Winter Championship that has a final over 1600m at Flemington in July, Brown said he was likely to bypass the series.
"I'm thinking of running him on Saturday and then giving him a couple of weeks off and get him ready for another 1200-metre race at Flemington in five or six-weeks' time," Brown said.
"With him not being the soundest, he seems to hit a flat spot around bends. I feel the way he looks and the report from Beau the other day, he said he felt like a completely different horse down the straight.
"And being a bit older and with his niggles, 1400 metres just about sees him up now, and he doesn't quite get the mile anymore."
More Racing News
Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa share up for grabs
A share in last month’s Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa is being offered on Inglis Digital. The five percent share is one of the headline lots that form a Halo Racing unreserved reduction, offered on behalf of the late Colin McKenna, who died last month. Also up for grabs is five percent...
Despite rating, 2024 WA Guineas hope high for Andrews
As a three-time champion of the WA Guineas (1600m), top line trainer Trevor Andrews has a good handle on what it takes to win the Group 2 feature. Trevor Andrews will have two bites of the cherry at winning his fourth WA Guineas on Saturday and despite what the market says he...
Sydney form to pay off for trainer Chris Waller
To run or not to run is a question hanging over many stables as a heavy track presents itself at Doomben. The two listed race features – the Recognition Stakes and the Tattersall’s Classic – could yet be impacted by scratchings but it is in another race on the card where...
Cranbourne Cup 2024 wait and see for Maher quartet
The Ciaron Maher stable is still deciding which of their quartet of acceptances it will take up the challenge with in the Listed Cranbourne Cup. Three of the runners in Saturday’s 1600m contest are also among acceptances for the Listed Kilmore Cup (1600m) on Sunday. Nugget, Cosmic Vega and Flash Flood have accepted for Kilmore...
Rey shooting for stars in The Meteorite
From the time two slot races were announced by Southside Racing, the Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock stable knew they wanted to be a part of it. Griffiths was born and bred in the Cranbourne area and was one of the first to establish a barn at the Cranbourne Training...
Air of confidence surrounds Maher’s The Gong squad
Big Dance winner Gringotts is the clear top pick of Ciaron Maher’s squad for the $1 million The Gong, but the leading trainer won’t be surprised to see the horse’s biggest threat comes from of a stablemate. Gringotts had three-quarters of a length to spare over barn mate Vivy Air in the Big...
Dan Morton keeps faith with 2024 Railway Stakes mare
Trainer Dan Morton has shrugged aside Super Smink’s horror barrier draw and still thinks she can win the Group 1 Swan Draught-Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday. A layer of complexity was added to Super Smink’s Railway Stakes bid after she was handed barrier 18, but Dan Morton is keeping the...
Timing right for Port Lockroy in G1 Railway Stakes bid
He’s one of five interstate raiders and the outsider of the quintet, but co-trainer, Rob Archibald believes there is a sense of timing about Port Lockroy in Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot. Rob Archibald, who shares training duties with Annabel Neasham, says Port Lockroy put himself into Railway Stakes...
Royal task for Gilded Water at local debut
A benchmark race on The Gong undercard will add some Royal flavour to the stand-alone Kembla Grange meeting when a horse owned by His Majesty King Charles III makes his local debut. Four-year-old Gilded Water has been sent to Australia to continue his racing career, having started just four times in the...
Improving trio to fly flag for Godolphin at Kembla Grange
Godolphin doesn’t have a representative in The Gong, but James Cummings is content to rely on a trio of up-and-coming sprinters to carry the stable’s hopes at the stand-alone Kembla Grange meeting. Fleetwood will headline the leading yard’s squad when he resumes in the Group 3 The Warra (1000m), while Pisanello and Restonica contest benchmark...
