Promising sprinter Falino will resume at Eagle Farm on Saturday with a Melbourne trip at the top of trainer Jeff Caught’s wish list.
Falino, a Ric McMahon mount, will have his first start since his winter carnival campaign in the Zarrafas Coffee Open Handicap (1200m).
The four-year-old has been in work nine weeks and showed he was ready to return to racing with a solid-finishing third to Listen Son in a 1060-metre barrier trial at Doomben on Tuesday.
Caught also used the trial to give McMahon further experience with Falino who was ridden by Tim Clark in three of his five autumn/winter appearances.
The son of Fusaichi Pegasus stamped his class at his third start from a spell with a narrow victory over Spirit Of Boom in the Group Three BTC Classic (1350m) at Doomben on May 21.
However, his subsequent two performances fell short of his best when 12th to Varenna Miss in the Group Two QTC Cup (1300m) and 17th to Torio’s Quest in the Group Two Queensland Guineas (1600m), both at Eagle Farm in June.
Caught has eight horses in work but his main profession is as a design draftsman for a Brisbane engineering company.
“Saturday’s race is only the second time he’s met older horses and it will be interesting to see how he goes,” Caught said.
“I want to see how he goes this week as I’d like to send him away for a race on Melbourne Cup day.
“I’d love to see him run down the straight six at Flemington. It should suit his racing style.
“But he has to show us he’s worth taking away. If he needs another run there’s a race here in two weeks before the Melbourne Cup day race.”
Caught also has the Listed Lightning Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on October 15 in his sights if he decides against a Melbourne trip.
“There’s a possibility he could go to Sydney but I’d prefer to go to Melbourne with him,” Caught said.
Caught is overlooking Falino’s failures in the QTC Cup and Queensland Guineas.
“He finished alongside Sincero and was only beaten five lengths in the QTC Cup,” he said.
“He was near the end of his campaign then and I made the wrong decision to go to the Queensland Guineas.
“It was too hard for him and he should have been in the paddock.”
Falino is no newcomer to travelling as Caught took him to Sydney last year when he won over 1200 metres at Rosehill on December 11.
AAP TURF
