Trainer Matthew Williams is hoping Caulfield will suit the racing pattern of Our Bottino when the gelding contests the Lord Stakes.
A last-start fourth over 1600m at Pakenham on December 9, Our Bottino meets a similar bunch in Tuesday’s Listed race over 1700m.
Our Bottino led under Ben Melham at Pakenham but wasn’t able to get a break on the field, but on the tighter confines of Caulfield, Williams is hoping for a different story.
“Maybe his plus is Caulfield might suit his style of racing better than the big track at Pakenham and he may get things his way a bit more,” Williams said.
“Benny rode him very well at Pakenham but he didn’t get left alone in front and hence wasn’t able to get a little break between the 600 (metres) to the 400 as he likes to do.
“He’s very well so there won’t be any excuses fitness-wise.”
The Pakenham outing was a make-up run for Our Bottino heading towards Tuesday’s race but Williams is not offering that as an excuse for his defeat last start.
Our Bottino was to run in the Kilmore Cup on November 26 and when that was abandoned he was scheduled to run in the Port Fairy Cup at Warrnambool four days later.
Again that race was called off because of weather and Williams had to refocus his program towards Tuesday’s race.
“He missed the Kilmore Cup and then the Port Fairy Cup at Warrnambool and he went to Pakenham missing a couple of gallops,” Williams said.
“In a perfect world he would have run in one of those races and then run on Tuesday.
“But I thought he ran up to his best at Pakenham considering the way the race was run.”
Williams said Our Bottino galloped on the Warrnambool course proper during the week and goes into Tuesday’s contest in top order.
Apprentice Ben Allen takes over from Melham.
