New Zealand galloper AegonĀ hasĀ taken no harm fromĀ what turned out to beĀ longer than expected travel to Melbourne to run at Caulfield.
Aegon and his Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained stablemate The Chosen OneĀ were delayed on the tarmac in New ZealandĀ ahead of their departure.
The Group 1Ā MemsieĀ Stakes (1400m)Ā on SaturdayĀ will be Aegon’s debutĀ in Melbourne.
“It was a longer trip than ideal, but he seems toĀ have coped with it well enough,” Forsman told RSN.
“He and The Chosen OneĀ canteredĀ around Flemington this morning and seem to have settled in well.”
Forsman pointed to the $1 million prize money on offer for theĀ MemsieĀ Stakes as to why the son of Sacred FallsĀ has arrivedĀ in Melbourne.
“We have a race hereĀ (New Zealand)Ā in a couple of weeks for $200,000 which was going to be aĀ pretty tough race,Ā not thatĀ theĀ MemsieĀ isn’t, but they would be similar quality fields,” Forsman said.
“So,Ā we thought we might as well go over for $1 million and have a crack.”
A winner of his first fiveĀ starts, including the Group 2Ā HobartvilleĀ Stakes at Rosehill in February, Aegon suffered his first defeat in theĀ Randwick Guineas the following month when finishing sixth.
HeĀ has not raced since running 12thĀ to Cascadian inĀ TheĀ Doncaster at Randwick in April.
“Physically he’s probably a similar sort of horse to what he was in the autumn,” Forsman said.
“He hasn’t really grown or bulked up too much. He isĀ goingĀ very well and if he runs up to thatĀ HobartvilleĀ form, or his best form, that should see him competitive.
“We’ve given him one public trial on a very heavy track, so we just went around. That was a trip away and a day out for him more than anything.
“I think he’s forward enoughĀ as he’s not a hard horse to get fit.”
