Champion colt Sepoy is set for another showdown with Buffering in the Group Two Caulfield Sprint.
Sepoy came out on top after a fierce battle for the lead when the pair met last start in the Group One Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
The Peter Snowden-trained colt showed remarkable courage to hold out Buffering and speared away in the straight to win easily while the Queensland sprinter could only finish fourth.
The arch rivals are among 18 entries for Saturday’s 1100m sprint which also includes Sepoy’s stablemate Beaded, winner of the Group One Doomben 10,000 in May.
Melbourne foreman Paul Snowden said Sepoy had trained on from the Manikato and “continued to tick all the boxes”.
“He will do his (fast) work in the morning as usual and is fit and well,” Snowden said.
Sepoy has won eight of his nine starts and earlier this year became the first two-year-old in 22 years to land the Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper double, earning him the accolade as the season’s champion two-year-old.
At this stage he is considered the biggest threat to unbeaten superstar Black Caviar but the Snowden stable has no plans to take her on this spring.
Eagle Falls has had a freshen-up since his last start failure at Flemington and returns to Caulfield, where he won the Group One Oakleigh Plate in the autumn, for Saturday’s sprint .
South Australian visitor Basil Da Man, 2010 Golden Slipper runner-up Decision Time and Peter Moody’s consistent mare Mid Summer Music are among the other entries.
Gai Waterhouse-trained More Joyous, who finished third when first-up to Sepoy in the Manikato Stakes, will avoid the colt on Saturday and target the mares in the Group Two Tristarc Stakes (1400m).
More Joyous has won two of her five Group One races at Caulfield and is one of 20 nominations for the Tristarc.
AAP TURF
