Bob Charley AO Stakes and Moreton Bay Cup options for Insurrection
The Bob Charley AO Stakes at Randwick shapes as a potential target for smart sprinter Insurrection.
Stakes assignments in Sydney and Brisbane will be considered for Insurrection as trainer Michael Freedman plots another black-type raid with the consistent campaigner.
The winner of the Listed Canterbury Sprint (1200m) in January, Insurrection lumped topweight of 60kg when beaten less than two lengths by Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara hopeful Opal Ridge first-up in the Ortensia Stakes (1100m) at Scone.
Freedman’s assistant Sophie Johnson said the gelding had taken improvement from that run and connections were considering either next Saturday’s Listed Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) at Randwick or the Group 2 Moreton Bay Cup (1200m) at Eagle Farm for his next start.
Which way they go will hinge on several factors, including the make-up of the fields in both places and how much weight he gets.
“Insurrection will be dual nominated for the Bob Charley and Queensland as well,” Johnson said.
“He always puts in one hundred and ten per cent, he’s a trier, but unfortunately the weight got the better of him first up. That’s the negative side of being a higher rated horse.
“But Zac (Lloyd) gets on with him so well we don’t want to put anybody else on. Zac will ride him if he goes to Queensland as well.”
The four-year-old has been a great money-spinner for the stable, winning seven of his 21 starts and almost $750,000 in prizemoney.
He has also proven adept on all types of surfaces and with clear skies forecast for Brisbane and more rain on the radar for Sydney, track conditions won’t be a concern either way.
“He’s pretty versatile,” Johnson said.
“He ran on a super wet track when he won The Warra at Kembla so he can handle it really well. Something in the middle would probably be nice.”
Freedman tasted success at Rosehill on Saturday when Yiska posted a comprehensive victory in the Midway Handicap (1500m) to open the meeting before it was washed out after the fifth event.
More Racing News
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...
Jason Collett hoping to find Express lane in The Gong
Jason Collett is resigned to the fact that he will be more reliant on luck than good management as he tries to coax another win out of Territory Express in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange. The Provincial-Midway Championships Final victor in the autumn, Territory Express has a get-back racing pattern...
Mark Walker aims for ‘new’ hometown Cranbourne Cup
Trainer Mark Walker has a good record when in form New Zealand gallopers land in Australia. Walker’s latest ‘import’ is It’s A Wild Night who will have his first Australian outing in the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m) on Saturday. It’s A Wild Night arrived at Walker’s Cranbourne base just over a week ago...
Trainer Gavin Bedggood chasing Fortune in The Meteorite
Gavin Bedggood hopes the decision to take Oscar’s Fortune to Cranbourne for a midweek gallop will pay off handsomely on Saturday. Oscar’s Fortune runs in the $1 million The Meteorite (1200m), a new ‘slot race’ that Southside Racing, a merged entity of the Cranbourne and Pakenham Clubs, runs for the first time. The former...
Railway Stakes 2024 timing perfect for Baker’s Bel
In-form mare Belclare will need to overcome a wide alley to land her first Australian Group One win in the Railway Stakes at Ascot, and connections believe Nash Rawiller is the perfect man for the job. A two-time victor at the highest level in New Zealand, Belclare joined the Sydney stable of Bjorn...
John Stewart eyes Melbourne with 2024 Japan Cup fancy
Goliath faces one of the toughest tasks in racing this weekend, beating the Japanese at home in their biggest race, but John Stewart is already planning his next moves with his star recruit and Australia is on the itinerary. The ambitious American has quickly become a powerful investor in Australian racing and...
Hedged poised to give The Warra rivals a trim-up
The Magic Millions carnival is the campaign focal point for promising sprinter Hedged, but trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr are hoping he can knock off a feature race along the way. The gelding will resume in the Group 3 The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday, his first start...
