Uate’s weight in the Gosford Guineas concerns trainer Kris Lees more than the track conditions or barrier draw.
The stakeswinning colt will carry the top weight of 58kg in Sunday’s Listed $250,000 Gosford Guineas (1200m) following the scratching of Upbeat and will jump from a wide barrier on a likely rain-affected surface.
Lees was relieved to see Uate return to some of his best form first-up at Rosehill recently and is now eyeing a trio of provincial Guineas races with the son of Ad Valorem.
Uate came up with barrier 18 in a field of 16 plus three emergencies.
“I think the biggest concern is that he’s a little horse and he’s got 58 kilos,” Lees said.
“He’s definitely up to this grade and capable of winning the race, but that weight is a query for him.”
Uate continued to surprise during his two-year-old season, winning his first three races including the Group Three Skyline Stakes before finishing second to Helmet in the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes.
The colt then failed on a heavy track at the end of his campaign in the Champagne Stakes and returned with two below-par performances in the spring before being spelled.
Lees admitted there were some doubts about the colt returning to his best but was relieved when the three-year-old produced an excellent effort to finish a close second to Title in the Listed Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) on March 24.
“He’s only a small horse and as a two-year-old he probably exceeded expectations,” the trainer said.
“When you’re not a big horse, sometimes it’s difficult to get them back to that level. His form in the spring wasn’t the best in the formguide but he did have post-race excuses both times.
“The indications at home were that he had returned well and was going to run well but it was just a relief and pretty pleasing to see him perform well first-up.”
Uate’s chances in the Gosford Guineas have been enhanced with a couple of significant scratchings including Nobby Snip.
Lees has given the colt four weeks between that first-up run and has targeted the Gosford Guineas as well as the Hawkesbury Guineas in two weeks and the Scone Guineas two weeks after that.
Gosford was rated in the slow range on Saturday.
