Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed is back home in Adelaide being prepared for an ambitious autumn carnival including Sydney’s weight-for-age features.
Trainer Leon Macdonald has an enviable record from the few horses he has sent to Sydney and he sees no reason why Southern Speed won’t enhance that.
After her fourth in the Mackinnon Stakes, Southern Speed had three weeks in a paddock in Victoria and returned to Morphettville last week.
“She’s sensational,” Macdonald said.
“She looks no different than she did on the 15th of October.”
That was the day she raced to a decisive win in the Caulfield Cup to give the veteran trainer the biggest win of his career.
He has had many major wins including those of Gold Guru, the first horse he raced in Sydney.
In 1998 the three-year-old caused an upset when he beat Might And Power in the Ranvet Stakes before the champion turned the tables in the BMW.
Gold Guru then took down another Sydney favourite when he defeated Tie The Knot in the AJC Australian Derby.
Six years later Dilly Dally claimed another of Sydney’s biggest features, the TJ Smith Stakes which although it was still a Group Two then, it was worth $1 million.
Regal Kiss (2001 Reisling Stakes) and Serious Speed (2008 Hobartville Stakes) are the trainer’s other Group winners in Sydney.
The Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and the BMW (2400m) are the targets for Southern Speed who will have four runs in Melbourne culminating in the Australian Cup in March.
With Cox Plate winner Pinker Pinker being aimed at shorter races including the Doncaster (1600m), jockey Craig Williams won’t be forced to make a choice between the two mares.
“They are on different paths on different weeks so there should be no conflict,” Macdonald said.
“Obviously we want him on the horse.”
While Southern Speed lived up to Macdonald’s aspirations in the spring, stablemate Perfect Punch fell a little short.
After putting together three wins in Adelaide, Perfect Punch raced ungenerously when third in the Geelong Classic and again when he beat just one home in the Victoria Derby.
Macdonald and the owners decided the only way to harness the three-year-old’s ability was to geld him.
“He is also back in the stable and so far so good,” Macdonald said.
“I don’t know if he will come to Sydney.
“He is more likely to stay here for the South Australian Derby and all going well we could then take him to Queensland for the Derby there.”
Macdonald said he and his training partner Andrew Gluyas would increase Southern Speed’s workload this week.
“Although she was in a paddock for three weeks she was on the water walker while she was there and stayed fit,” he said.
“We will start getting her up to even time this week and she will start in the John Dillon on January 26.”
AAP TURF
