New Zealand trainer Trent Busuttin is hoping he has picked the right year to set a horse for the VRC St Leger.
Along with his partner Natalie Young, Busuttin prepares the Zabeel three-year-old Gifted Lad which lines-up in the $200,000 race on Saturday.
The St Leger, first run in 1857, includes Phar Lap in its honour roll if winners, has declined in quality after losing its Group Three status in 2006.
This year’s renewal has the Bart and James Cummings-trained Colour Of Money the highest-rated runner on 66 points.
Busuttin said he was disappointed with Gifted Lad’s performance in the New Zealand Derby, where he finished 13th behind subsequent ATC Australian Derby winner Mongolian Khan and Rosehill Guineas winner Volkstok’n’barrell.
After Busuttin decided against a Sydney campaign, Gifted Lad returned to form carrying 69kg in a highweight race at Rotorua over 1950m on a heavy track.
“We were weighing up our options after the New Zealand Derby and while he didn’t run up to his best he showed us that he wasn’t up to going to Sydney,” Busuttin said.
“We had a look through and saw the St Leger, and the 2800 metres he will get without a problem.
“I thought placed between the South Australian Derby and the ATC Derby the top-class three-year-olds wouldn’t be there and ($200,000), coming from New Zealand, is pretty hard to bypass.”
Busuttin said Gifted Lad had settled in well after a 10-hour trip from his Cambridge stables on Wednesday.
Gifted Lad’s performance will decide whether he returns to New Zealand for a spell or presses ahead to the South Australian Derby at Morphettville on May 9.
Gifted Lad is rated an $8.50 chance in St Leger betting.
All I Survey, a last-start third behind South Australian Derby contenders Manapine and Oncidium Ruler, heads the market at $3.70 ahead of General Zabeel ($4.80) and Authoritarian ($6).
