Absolutelyawesome was a star worker at Flemington on Tuesday morning ahead of his trip to Sydney for the Group One Randwick Guineas.
The Mike Moroney-trained gelding put in a pleasing right-handed gallop against older stablemate Platinum Passion with race jockey Glen Boss aboard.
Boss, who has spoken of Absolutelyawesome in glowing terms, had been engaged to ride the three-year-old who was fourth emergency in last Saturday’s Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
However, Absolutelyawesome missed a run and Boss ended up riding the winner Shamrocker with Moroney switching focus to Saturday’s Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Warwick Farm.
“He’s only won one race. He was first emergency in the Victoria Derby and missed out,” Moroney’s stable manager Anthony Feroce said of Absolutelyawesome.
“This time up he’s had one run and he ran well. He didn’t have much luck in the straight and probably should have finished in the placings.”
That run was when he came from last at the 800 metres to finish fifth to subsequent Australian Guineas runner-up Bullbars in the Group Three CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 19.
The gelding was having his first start since finishing seventh to Backgammon in the Myer Fashion Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on November 4.
He has had just five starts to date, winning a Kilmore 1200m maiden last September after which he ran third to Shadows In The Sun over 1600m at Caulfield, the only time Boss has ridden him in a race.
Absolutelyawesome is one of 14 entries for the Randwick Guineas with Ilovethiscity going into the race off a brilliant last-start win in the Group Two Hobartville Stakes.
The Grahame Begg-trained Ilovethiscity is being aimed at the Doncaster Mile while many of his rivals are headed towards the AJC Australian Derby on April 9.
Absolutelyawesome was entered for the Derby (2400m) on Tuesday and was also among entries for the Sydney Cup (3200m) two weeks later along with Platinum Passion.
He is bred to stay being by 2004 Japan Cup winner Zenno Rob Roy out of Pentire mare Switch Hitter.
AAP TURF
