The well-travelled How Much My Love will shoot for his maiden stakes success in Saturday’s Listed Ascot Handicap at Eagle Farm.
The gelding has been tested in black type company three times with his best result a sixth in the 2010 Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast.
Trainer Danny Williams would have preferred to be stepping him out over further than 1200m on Saturday but said he still expected a bold run.
“It’s a bit shorter than I would have preferred. He is really looking for 1400 but I thought the bigger track at Eagle Farm might help,” Williams said.
“He’s an older horse now and I’ve had to place him right.”
For How Much My Love, that has meant plenty of travelling.
Trained at Goulburn, an hour outside Canberra, How Much My Love competed at the Wagga carnival in May before heading to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast where Williams based his winter carnival team.
He then hit the road to Rockhampton in far north Queensland for a two-start hit and run mission.
“The prizemoney was what attracted us there,” Williams said of the Rockhampton trip.
“His runs were very sound. His first run he was a bit fresh and underdone and next start he got back from a wide gate then had to do a bit of work to get there and he just died on his run.”
How Much My Love has drawn awkwardly on Saturday with barrier 10 of 11 but he will have the advantage of Chris Munce.
Munce became the first jockey to win 100 Brisbane races in a season when he took out the Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra last Saturday and Williams was happy to snare him.
“Chris is riding particularly well and he’s on a bit of a high so let’s hope he can continue that on Saturday,” he said.
Williams will also start the promising War Charm in the opening race and hopes he can make amends for a frustrating couple of months.
“We’ve had wet weather and some bad luck in the meantime,” Williams said.
“I would have liked him to be running a lot earlier.
“Hopefully he can get a nice run from the one gate on Saturday.”
