Three-year-old Scarf can join two of this season’s most exciting horses by becoming a six-time Sydney winner if successful at Rosehill on Saturday.
Scarf will be out to join star mare More Joyous and emerging sprinter Rain Affair as the most prolific winners on Sydney racetracks during the 2010/11 season which finishes this weekend.
The grey son of Lonhro is the likely favourite for the $100,000 Winter Championship (1500m) at Rosehill on the back of his last-start success in the Listed Winter Stakes over the same course and distance.
More Joyous won six times in Sydney this season, including two Group Ones, and also added another two Group Ones in Melbourne to sit alongside champion Black Caviar as the only horses to win eight metropolitan races in Australia this term.
Scarf would leap into the top 10 if he notches his sixth city success on Saturday.
“Even before what happens on Saturday he’s done a great job anyway this preparation,” trainer Peter Snowden said.
Snowden said Scarf would head for a spell after the Winter Championship and return for a summer campaign.
Darley Australia’s head trainer said the Group Two Villiers (1600m) at Randwick in December was among the summer options.
“That’s a possibility, it’s there in the back of my mind,” he said.
Scarf has raced through the grades with three wins from four starts since returning from a let-up in late May.
He made the jump to stakeswinner with a long neck win over Devils Arcade in the Winter Stakes on July 16.
“I’m more than happy with the way he’s done since his last start,” Snowden said.
“It would be good to see him draw a good gate because every start so far this preparation he’s drawn shocking.”
Sniper’s Bullet has been given topweight of 59.5kg for the Winter Championship with Scarf to carry 54kg after winning with 53kg last start.
Meanwhile, after watching trackwork on Tuesday morning Snowden has decided against sending last-start Healy Stakes winner Pinwheel to Melbourne for Saturday’s Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m).
“He won’t be going to Melbourne, he’ll trial here on Friday and I’ll run him in the (Group Three) Missile Stakes on Saturday week,” the trainer said.
“He had a good blow this morning and to me he’s beatable (on Saturday). He’ll trial on Friday and be all the better for it.”
AAP TURF
