It is getting to the point in the Spring Carnival where there are fewer places to hide.
Trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are acutely aware of this as they plan an assault on the Caulfield Guineas with Blind Raise.
The Caulfield Guineas over 1600m will be run on October 10 and an important stepping stone to that contest is the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday.
Blind Raise is one of nine runners in Saturday’s race and has unfortunately drawn barrier nine, but heads into the contest coming off a first-up victory at Sandown.
The son of Ace High won his first two starts as a two-year-old and headed to Brisbane for a winter campaign which was aborted after one run where he was found to be full of mucus when finishing ninth in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
A spell in the Queensland warmth allowed the gelding to recover from his ailment before Blind Raise began his spring preparation.
Blind Raise went into his first-up run underdone, having just one trial, but his class shone through in registering a 1-¾ length win.
“He came through it well as he was a bit above himself at Sandown,” Busuttin said.
“He’d had just the one run trial leading into it and in the parade ring, it was noticeable he was sweating up and was up and about which is unlike him.
“We were happy with his trial and thought he could do it, but thinking they can do it and actually doing it, is two different things.
“With that run under the belt and then taking him to Caulfield on Tuesday, he should be a bit calmer.
“It will be another challenge on Saturday, and we’ll see how he goes this time, but I would imagine he will be very competitive.”
The Caulfield Guineas is the gelding’s target this spring while he also remains in the picture for the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24.
Busuttin said Blind Raise should be further improved from Saturday’s run and be peaking on Caulfield Guineas Day.
“His coat is nowhere near where we would like it to be,” Busuttin said.
“We have just under a month to the Caulfield Guineas to get that right.”
