Weights and margins have trainer George Osborne convinced Written Up is close to a breakthrough win.
He hopes it comes in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Bendigo Guineas but insists the gelding’s main aim is the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Reef three weeks later at Flemington.
The Darren Weir-trained Trust In A Gust has beaten Written Up home in his past three starts, recording dominant wins at Caulfield and Moonee Valley in VOBIS Gold series races with Written Up fifth and second respectively.
Trust In A Gust was second to Worth A Ransom in a 1300-metre race at Wangaratta last start with Written Up third.
Worth A Ransom and Trust In A Gust are set to be rivals to Written Up again at Bendigo but Osborne believes his charge has improved since his 1-3/4 length Wangaratta defeat.
He meets the winner 1kg better and Trust In A Gust 3kg better.
“He probably peaked on his run last start and he’ll be better for it,” Osborne said.
“I thought he went pretty well and I thought we’d made pretty good inroads on Trust In A Gust.
“At Moonee Valley two starts ago he beat us by 1-1/2 lengths and carried 60 kilos and we had 57. They met at level weights last start and he beat us about the same distance.
“I’m being as positive as I can about it, and think we’re heading in the right direction.”
Osborne also felt Trust In A Gust didn’t parade as well as he had seen before his previous start.
“I’m playing on these things being positives, but the negative is we still haven’t beaten him,” he said.
Osborne expects to be more upbeat heading into the VOBIS Gold Reef on April 5 which he said has been the target since last year.
“But in saying that the improvement he made from his first-up run at Caulfield to his second-up run at Moonee Valley was terrific,” he said.
“And I’m thinking he’s going to improve from his last start to this one as well and then hopefully a bit more again for his next start.”
The Bendigo meeting also includes the Listed $150,000 Golden Mile and the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Rush for two-year-olds.
