Gavin Bedggood is confident Al Karam can give him his fourth win in The Australian Steeplechase from the last six runnings of the $100,000 event at Sandown on Saturday.
Bedggood is entitled to like the prospects of his mount who raced away from Fareer to beat him easily in taking out the Great Southern Steeple (3320m) at Mornington on May 20.
Al Karam meets the Brierly Steeple winner on three-kilogram worse terms for their Mornington clash.
“He’s a bit of a forgotten horse really. Every is raving about Fareer because of the Steve Pateman-Robert Smerdon factor I think,” Bedggood said.
“Fareer had a torrid run but it wasn’t like Al Karam fell in. He beat him home by four-and-a-quarter lengths and it was pretty soft the last 200 metres.
“As long as we don’t get any rain between now and Saturday he’s going to be very hard to beat I would think.”
The Sandown track was rated a heavy (8) on Thursday.
“He’s one of the benchmark horses around. They have all got to beat him on Saturday not the other way around,” Bedggood said of Al Karam.
“It was a super win (in the Great Southern). He’d been targeted at that race for his first-up (jumping) run.
“The plan was always to miss Warrnambool and Oakbank and have him primed to kick off there on fresh legs.”
Bedggood, 26, combined with trainer Robbie Laing to win the 3900m feature with Mazzacano (2007 and 2009) and Vindicating (2011) but this time links up with the Colin and Cindy Alderson stable.
Al Karam switched to the bigger fences last year and finished third in both the Crisp Steeple (3900m) and the Grand National Steeple (4500m) and Bedggood said the Eltawaasul six-year-old was a more seasoned `chaser now.
“This is his third season of jumping. He’s a safe jumper and a good stayer,” Bedggood, who rode him for the first time in a jumping race in the Great Southern victory, said.
“I’ve been riding work for the Aldersons all season and I actually rode him when he got his steeple ticket last year.
“Trent Wells had been riding him. One of his owners (Peter Lawrence) also owned Pentiffic who Trent used to ride.”
Wells, who rides Gravitas for co-trainers Fran Houlahan and Brian Johnston, won the 2010 Australian Steeple for that stable aboard Tarawera as well as a string of races on Pentiffic in 2009 including the Hiskens and Grand National Steeples.
Gravitas finished 8-1/2 lengths behind Al Karam when fourth at Mornington.
Fareer is $3.40 favourite with TAB Sportsbet from Al Karam at $4, New Zealander Roodyvoo at $5, Von Doussa and Great Eastern winner Tobouggie Nights at $5.50 with Megapixel and Via Savoia at $8.50.
