Brilliant Light announced himself as an autumn carnival player in last year’s Newcastle Newmarket and trainer Kerry Parker will be disappointed if the gelding doesn’t do likewise on Thursday.
Last year’s Group Three Newcastle Newmarket (1400m) was Brilliant Light’s first foray into stakes company and his second to Walking Or Dancing was followed by victories in the Ajax Stakes and Doncaster Prelude.
He then finished a game third in the Group One Doncaster Mile won by Rangirangdoo.
Brilliant Light hasn’t found the winner’s stall since the Doncaster Prelude last April but Parker has been satisfied with his two starts this preparation and is counting on the five-year-old rising to the occasion in the $125,000 Newmarket.
“He’s got to step up now,” Parker said.
“He needs to run well tomorrow in this and then we can go to the Ajax Stakes again and then push on towards the Doncaster.
“I’d be disappointed if he didn’t stand up and be counted. I think he should go to the races there and prove hard to beat.”
Brilliant Light was plagued by niggling issues in just a three-run spring campaign and this preparation finished sixth first-up in the Group Three Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) before his last-start eighth in the Group Three Liverpool City Cup (1300m).
Asked how he has rated Brilliant Light’s current campaign, Parker said it was “so far so good” heading into Thursday’s assignment where the gelding has barrier eight in the 13-horse field.
“He came back in off a long break and his two runs so far have been satisfactory,” Parker said.
“In his first run he just knocked up with them running one minute, eight seconds for the 1200 metres.
“Then last start he had to work from an outside barrier (13) and sat outside the leader. I thought he stuck on quite well to be beaten just over three lengths.”
With the likes of Metropolitan Handicap winner Herculian Prince resuming and up-and-coming galloper Glintz also in the field, Parker expects a genuinely-run contest in the Newcastle Jockey Club’s flagship autumn race.
“He probably just needs an ounce of luck from barrier eight to get a soft run just behind the pace,” the Kembla-based trainer said.
“Lately he’s had to do a lot of work and has still been a bit big, but if he can get a soft run from that gate I think it looks a good race on paper for him.”
The John O’Shea-trained Glintz heads the TAB Sportsbet market at $3.80 ahead of Trader at $4.80 with Ahdashim and Herculian Prince next in line at $7.50.
Brilliant Light, to be ridden by Tim Clark, is at $11.
AAP TURF
