Queensland Cup hopeful Raeburn is unproven at 3200 metres but trainer Brian Smith is happy to chance his hand.
Raeburn did his early racing in Victoria and was unable to win beyond 1700m before joining Smith’s stable late last year.
Since then he has notched two wins over 2020m and another over 2200m and last Saturday was doing his best work late for fourth to Spechenka in the Caloundra Cup (2400m).
“I’m testing the waters but he has stepped up to every distance I’ve ever asked him to and he keeps running on at the end,” Smith said.
“This will be three weeks in a row that he’s raced and he is as bright as ever.”
Raeburn’s form during the early Brisbane carnival races was sound but Smith decided to put blinkers on him two starts ago and the gelding appears to have responded.
Prior to his fourth at Caloundra he was a handy fifth to Ironstein in the Group Three Tatt’s Cup and Smith has left the blinkers on for Saturday’s Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm.
“We put them on the start before last, we were just trying to shake him up a bit,” Smith said.
“We’ll leave them on. He’s a quiet horse, he’s not the type to fire up with them on.”
Raeburn’s racing pattern is to settle back near last but over the two miles on Saturday and given the big field, Smith is hoping jockey Scott Galloway can find a position midfield.
While Raeburn is unproven at the trip he isn’t alone.
Of the 17 runners, only Persian Star has won over 3200m while Smoking Chimneys was third at his only attempt in the 2009 New Zealand Cup.
Easing favourite Tinseltown has been tried four times – excluding when he fell in this year’s Sydney Cup – with his best finish a fifth in last year’s Queensland Cup won by Solid Billing.
Interestingly, three of the runners – Preacher Boy, Sancy Diamond and Cuban – are by Iglesia who still holds the 1200m track record at Flemington of 1:07.16 set in 2001.
Tinseltown was a narrow favourite at $3.20 with TAB Sportsbet on Friday, ahead of Persian Star ($3.60) and Raeburn ($3.80).
Smoking Chimneys at $7.50 was the only other runner under double figures.
AAP TURF
