A couple of sparkling workouts have Solid Billing on track to repeat his performance of two years ago in the Group Three Summer Cup on Boxing Day.
The seven-year-old missed a scheduled start in the Christmas Cup due to trainer Craig Ritchie’s concerns he may have been tying up.
Ritchie then planned to send him round in last Saturday’s Villiers Stakes but opted instead to give him a gallop between races at Canterbury on Friday night.
“I suspected the track at Warwick Farm was going to be too firm and it turned out that way when it got to a good three,” Ritchie said.
“I thought chasing speed horses over 1600 metres on that track would take too much out of him and flatten him.
“He’s been trained for the 2400 metres and is ready for it.
“Jay Ford will ride and he was very pleased with the gallop at Canterbury.
“He thought his hitout was nice and his recovery was terrific.”
Solid Billing’s work at Warwick Farm on Wednesday morning also thrilled Ritchie.
“I was very happy with him,” he said.
“His work this morning was terrific.
“That will be his only gallop before the Cup.”
In his most recent outing to the races, Solid Billing finished fifth of nine, beaten less than two lengths, in the Frank Underwood Cup (1900m) at Canterbury on November 26.
Solid Billing is now resident in Australia with Ritchie’s move from New Zealand at the beginning of the season.
On previous trips across the Tasman he has had mixed success but has shown his quality with his win in the 2009 Summer Cup, the 2010 Queensland Cup (3200m) and a fine third in this year’s Group One Sydney Cup (3200m) behind Stand To Gain and Older Than Time on a heavy track.
While he performs well on all types of ground, Ritchie doesn’t want it too hard.
“I’d just like the sting out of it,” he said.
Mr Tipsy, trained by Ritchie’s Warwick Farm neighbour Bjorn Baker who arrived from New Zealand at the same time, is topweight for the Summer Cup with 58kg followed by Solid Billing with 57.5kg, the same weight as Strike One trained by another transplanted Kiwi, Chris Waller.
Strike One’s stablemate Permit has 53kg following his win over 2200 metres at Warwick Farm on Saturday when he beat Scouting Wide who has 56.5kg.
The Tim Martin-trained Scouting Wide will have the services of champion jockey Jim Cassidy who has returned to riding after a five-week suspension for overuse of the whip.
AAP TURF
