David Payne is familiar enough with Criterion to judge his distance limits, but sight unseen he knows new stable acquisition Terrubi is a genuine stayer.
Criterion, winner of the Australian Derby, begins his Cox Plate mission in Saturday’s Warwick Stakes.
Criterion, Hugh Bowman – Photo by Sharon Chapman
Terrubi is scheduled to run in the Prix Kergolay at Deauville the following day before going to Newmarket in England to enter quarantine ahead of a tilt at the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Payne will remain in Australia to oversee Criterion’s return and will send a foreman to stay with Terrubi until he comes to Australia for the Cups.
“Terrubi looks like the real thing for the Cups but they have to do well in quarantine and then travel well,” Payne said.
“I’m not sure if he’s running in the Prix Kergolay. That will be up to his trainer.
“But I do know watching his last start over 2800 metres he looks like a genuine stayer.”
Terrubi is a last-start winner of the Group Two Prix Maurice de Nieuil at Longchamp for trainer Pascal Bary but if he runs at Deauville it will be in the care of Andreas Wohler.
He is being sent to Payne by new owners Australian Bloodstock who bought him before his Group Two win.
“He certainly ticks all our boxes so were very happy to have him,” Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett said.
Terrubi will come to Australia with the Wohler-trained Singing who will then join the Kris Lees stable.
Although Criterion is the winner of the Australian Derby (2400m), Payne does not believe he can match it in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with the hardened European-bred stayers.
“He won the Derby on class,” Payne said.
“They do that as three-year-olds but I think he is too brilliant and the Cox Plate is his race.
“He is a 2000 metre horse and that will be as far as he runs from now on.
