Peter Snowden believes there’s a place for Saturday’s juvenile staying race but is still unsure if the timing is right and doubts whether it will produce future Derby prospects.
The Calmsley Hill Juvenile Stayer (1800m) has been programmed this season along with another race over the same distance at Randwick next month for two-year-olds.
The two races lead up to the BOBS Significant Stakes over 1900m for two and three-year-olds on June 30.
Snowden will start Grigori in Saturday’s race while trainer David Payne has embraced the race with three runners and believes it’s an important grounding for spring staying prospects.
“What wins these races, you won’t see them in the Derby I don’t feel,” Snowden said.
“If you have got a Derby horse there I don’t feel he should be running these sort of trips now. That’s my opinion anyway.
“If you’ve got a Derby horse you want him running these sorts of trips in November, not in May. I just think it’s too early just yet.
“I can see what they are doing and I congratulate them on it but I just don’t know that you’re going to get the good horses.”
Grigori was seventh over 1400m on debut at a Randwick before his fourth over 1550m at Canterbury last start behind three horses he’ll face again on Saturday.
“He’s had the right grounding to get the 1800 and I think he’ll run it out quite solid,” Snowden said.
“I don’t think he’s a superstar but he’s the sort of horse where this race will suit him.”
Payne has last start winner Honorius as well as Chez Harmony and Monaco Doll engaged.
He believes it’s vital to give the youngsters with staying potential a go over this distance with a view to the spring.
“Long-term you want them to race over distances,” Payne said.
“Everybody cries about the lack of staying races. There is a mindset here to race over 1000 and 1200 metres.
“Yet the biggest race here is the Melbourne Cup and the Victoria Derby in the spring is 2500 metres.
“These horses are bred to be stayers and long term we want to race them in the big races so we need to support races like this.”
