Trainer Dan O’Sullivan has been handed a novel dilemma with the Mornington Cup win of Tuscan Fire.
O’Sullivan must decide whether to set the horse for the big winter hurdle races or the Caulfield Cup – and it isn’t out of the question he’ll have a crack at both.
Tuscan Fire winning the Byron Moore Handicap at Flemington - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia (Steven Dowden)
As well as the $210,000 first prize for Wednesday’s Mornington win, Tuscan Fire won direct entry into the $2.5 million Caulfield Cup in October.
The elevation of the gelding from a jumping prospect to a runner in one of Australia’s biggest Group One races came after connections had almost lost hope Tuscan Fire had a future on the flat.
After winning three races in his first two years of racing, Tuscan Fire embarked on a hurdling campaign, showing solid potential winning two of his six starts over jumps.
He then went for a spell last June and returned to the track totally rejuvenated.
A couple of second placings in town were followed by a pair of wins at Flemington and a last start second at the same track.
“The jumping seemed to improve him, got him interested in the business,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan said he detected the new life in Tuscan Fire before his first-up run, but was frightened to reveal it.
“I had this little plan but I wasn’t game to talk about it because people think you’re overrating your horse,” he said.
“But he came up so well.”
The first step was to get Tuscan Fire to Saturday level, then to win a feature race.
Having achieved that, O’Sullivan set his sights on winning a Group race, and the Group Three Mornington Cup fitted his program perfectly.
Aided by a confident Glen Boss ride, Tuscan Fire ($6) cleared out to score by 2-3/4 lengths from Durnford ($4.80) with a short head to Macedonian ($18).
So comfortable was the win, Boss had time to acknowledge the crowd well before the finishing post for which he was fined $1000,
While the victory confirmed Tuscan Fire’s future on the flat, his trainer hasn’t abandoned his jumping aspirations.
“The jumping’s still there and he’s good at it,” O’Sullivan said.
“Don’t forget, Vintage Crop was a hurdler before he won the Melbourne Cup.”
The riderless Titch annoyed race leader Shadows In The Sun for much of the Cup after dropping Linda Meech as he jumped out of the barrier.
Meech, who rides Moment Of Change against his stablemate Black Caviar in Saturday’s Lighting Stakes, suffered no harm from the fall.
