Trainer Clinton McDonald is planning to have a fun summer with veteran galloper Pacino.
McDonald’s family owns the eight year-old and he is striking form at the right time after six runs in the spring.
“We own him and he is getting on so whatever prize money he picks up is great for us,” McDonald said.
While Pacino has won just six of his 65 starts, he has been a lucrative horse for the McDonalds earning $453,540 in stakes with hopes he can build on that in Saturday’s Corey Gilby Memorial Handicap (1800m) at Sandown named for the Queensland jockey who died earlier this month.
Quoted at $4, he has only Snitza ($2.70) and Full Peal ($3.30) ahead of him in TAB Sportsbet’s market.
Pacino struggled in some the better spring races but McDonald always planned to have him up and about for the summer on the firmer tracks which he needs to show his best.
“I wanted to get him to the Christmas period without overdoing it through the spring so he could race at this time of the year,” McDonald said.
Much improved runs at his past two starts flagged a seventh win was close and jockey Danny Nikolic is in charge of getting the job done on Saturday.
With better fortune he could have won his last two starts at Morphettville and Flemington.
After finishing last at Cranbourne over 2025 metres on October 13 he went down in a photo finish to Awe and Wonder over 1600 metres in Adelaide on October 29 and suffered an attack of the thumps when a length fourth to Musical Hit over 2000 metres at Flemington on November 5.
Second-placed Domesky has since franked the Flemington form when winning last Sunday’s Ballarat Cup.
“It is probably fair to say he’s got his foot on the till and it was just a shame the other day that he pulled up with the thumps,” McDonald said.
“It was a hot day and he might have got a little bit dehydrated, but he seems good now.
“We took him out to Sandown on Tuesday and he galloped well so we’re going there Saturday confident he can run a top race in what is not overly strong field.”
AAP TURF
