Trainer Mark Loft received a pleasant surprise when the bookies offered him $26 about his horse King’s A Star when it won the Latrobe Cup at Traralgon last month.
And he’s similarly impressed by the generous price on offer in Saturday’s Piping Lane Handicap (2000m) at Flemington.
“I couldn’t believe what they put up at Traralgon, but I was grateful,” Loft said.
“The race was our long-term goal and his form was really solid leading up.
“He’s run a couple of good races in town since, he certainly hasn’t gone backwards.”
King’s A Star is a $20 chance in a race in which winning form is scarce and quality is far from abundant.
“It isn’t as if the race has a lot of class in it, I think he’s in it with a massive chance,” Loft said.
King’s A Star is the pick of Loft’s small team and is nothing if not durable.
He’s had 10 runs this time in and Loft believes he’s still as keen as he was when his campaign began in September.
“He always let’s us know when he’s had enough and he hasn’t shown us any sign of that,” he said.
“He was jumping out of his skin as he came off the track this week.”
Betting on the Piping Lane is headed by Elusive King, a member of a strong team that represents a return to full competition of premier trainer Peter Moody.
Moody has had a relatively quiet time since the spring carnival, leading in only one Saturday winner in Melbourne this month.
But that is set to change at Flemington where Moody has runners in seven races, four of which are favourite and three are on the second line of betting.
Perhaps his most interesting runner, however, is the German-bred Angolaner who is having his second Australian start.
A winner of four races in France and Germany, he tailed the field at his lone Melbourne run at Flemington last month.
Luke Nolen will ride Angolaner rather than stablemate and favourite Elusive King in the Piping Lane Handicap.
