he racing manners of Aerobatics will be put to the test at Warwick Farm on Saturday as trainer Peter Snowden looks to the filly to start fulfilling her potential.
Snowden has a number of top three-year-olds in his care but Aerobatics’ tendency to over-race has stopped her from returning to the winner’s circle since scoring an impressive debut win as a two-year-old in November 2010.
“Honestly in my mind as two-year-olds I had Sepoy in Melbourne and Aerobatics in Sydney. That’s how I rated them,” Snowden said.
“But what they did was totally different.
“One does everything right and gets results and this filly does everything wrong and gets nothing. That’s the difference it makes.
“She’s got to get her racing manners back in order and if she does the ability is all there.”
Aerobatics won a barrier trial at Rosehill on January 19 and Snowden saw positive signs that the work being done to get the filly to relax was working.
“I’m really happy with her this time,” Snowden said.
“Last time in she wasn’t helping herself by racing too hard. We’ve really tried to focus on that this time through and get her to relax and she seems to be doing that well in her work.
“In her trial it was only a small field but she raced inside another horse just off the speed and she seemed a lot better.”
Aerobatics will line up in Saturday’s 3YO Benchmark-80 over 1100m.
The race has only eight nominations but plenty of depth including the Lionel Cohen-trained Aeronautical who was a late entry.
The Snowden-trained Detours, placed in the Up And Coming and Furious Stakes last preparation, was also a late nomination for the event which includes the Chris Waller-trained Velrosso and unbeaten gelding Didntcostalot.
Snowden also has two-year-old Incrimination pencilled in for the Juvenile Plate (1000m) but will wait until later in the week to decide if she makes her debut.
Incrimination is by Exceed And Excel out of Impeach, a half-sister to Group One winner Denman.
“Her trial was good but she is not a big filly and I just want to make sure she has fully recovered from that trial last Friday before I run her,” Snowden said.
“I could also wait and run her next week.”
Meanwhile, stable stars Sepoy and Helmet are continuing to please Snowden ahead of their Melbourne assignments and trip to Dubai in March.
Helmet will trial under lights at Cranbourne next Tuesday while Sepoy could also trial there but is more likely to wait and jumpout at Flemington on Friday week.
Helmet resumes in the CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) on February 18 while four-time Group One winner Sepoy returns a week later in the Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m).
AAP TURF
