Trainer David Jolly is sticking with the recipe that won Behemoth the opening Group 1 race of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival last year.
Behemoth won the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield second-up, coming off a win in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville two weeks prior.
Jolly even followed last year’s path of taking Behemoth to Balaklava for a trial and like last year the trainer will be unable to travel to Melbourne for Saturday’s race.
“It’s pretty much the same as last year, even down to the COVID situation,” Jolly said.
“The only difference is the girls have been riding instead of the boys.”
Jamie Kah replaces Craig Williamson in the Memsie Stakes while Kayla Crowther rode Behemoth instead of Todd Pannell in Spring Stakes.
Behemoth wound-up his preparation for Saturday’s race with a gallop at Morphettville on Monday with fellow Memsie Stakes contender Beau Rossa.
A wet South Australian winter has forced Jolly to use the beach more often at Goolwa with limited galloping available on his home track at Strathalbyn.
“Traditionally he did most of his gallops at home last year as it was a bit of a drier winter whereas this year, he’s probably done more beach work, less track work,” Jolly said.
“It has been a bit wetter than normal this year but what has helped us through this year is having that residual fitness from when he ran in The Goodwood.
“You don’t have panic.
“He’s seems in good order, it’s hard to compare year to year but hopefully he can get the job done.
I think he’s more mature. He’s a bit quieter, a bit easier to deal with and that probably comes hand-in-hand with the travelling.
“He’s been around the block a bit more now and as a six-year-old, he’s now fully matured.”
