Trainer Symon Wilde is excited about the prospect of American In Paris showing his staying credentials at the 2500 metres of the inaugural running of the Mahogany Challenge Final for three-year-olds.
Saturday’s $150,000 race on the Flemington Finals Day program is the culmination of a new seven-race series, with the six heats over distances between 2000m and 2400m over the past two months in Melbourne.
American In Paris, whose sire is 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain, contested two of those heats, finishing fourth to Dogmatic over 2000m at Caulfield two starts ago before a sixth at Sandown to Tysonic over 2100m.
Wilde labels American In Paris an “out and out stayer” so he believes Saturday’s Final is more suitable for the gelding who was third in both the Listed Galilee Series Final (2425m) and Listed VRC St Leger (2800m) earlier in his campaign.
American In Paris will have Melbourne’s premier jockey aboard, with Craig Williams sticking with the gelding after riding him last start when he was doing his best work late over the 2100m.
“He has been set for the race,” Wilde said.
“He had a 2000 and 2100 which are probably a little bit short for him but we’ve just tried to keep him ticking over until that 2500-metre race.
“I think that’s his right distance.
“Earlier in the year he was placed in the Galilee Series Final and he was placed in the VRC St Leger. He’s a out-and-out stayer.
“I think Flemington over 2500 metres, it’s a lovely race for him.”
The Richard Laming-trained Dogmatic is topweight with 60kg in the field of 12 while the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace partnership has accepted with five runners – Not A Single Cent, Dunmam, El Vincitore, Wealthy Wolf and Catalanic.
