New Zealand trainer Shane Marr’s first Australian runner Faaltless will get conditions to suit him at Rosehill on Saturday.
Connections of the six-year-old have taken the gamble on bringing the gelding across the Tasman to compete in Saturday-class races during the winter period.
Faaltless’ first assignment will be the Tooheys New Crew Handicap (1350m) where a heavy track awaits.
“The main reason for coming across is that the stake money at home is pretty poor during winter and he’s a wet-track galloper,” Marr said.
“We thought we’d take a punt and bring him over for some benchmark races in Sydney that are worth a bit of money.
“There’s nothing really at home for him until August so we might as well try and get something along the way.”
Rosehill was rated in the heavy range on Friday with 101mm of rain falling at the track this week.
“He’ll definitely get a wet track which won’t worry him and any more rain on the day wouldn’t hurt either,” Marr said of the three-time heavy track winner in New Zealand.
Faaltless won first-up over 1200m on May 7 at his home track of Riccarton Park in Christchurch and arrived in Sydney on Wednesday morning.
“He travelled over really well,” Marr said.
“He won quite well fresh-up at home, we were confident of a forward showing that day and he didn’t let us down.
“He’s gone in the right direction since that run as well.
“It’s hard to get a line on the field for Saturday but on his work and everything I expect him to be competitive.”
Marr has been training in his own right for about a decade and while Faaltless will be his first overseas runner as a trainer, the horseman is no stranger to Rosehill.
He worked for Barry Lockwood at the track for six months in the early 1990s and also accompanied three-year-old Avedon to Sydney in 1995 for a four-race campaign when stable foreman for Patrick Campbell.
Faaltless will be ridden by regular jockey Robert Hannam who has partnered the gelding in his past 11 starts for six wins.
“Rob rode him all last winter and has got on well with him,” the trainer said.
“He has won six races on him and we thought he should have first crack on him over here. We’ll worry about future riders after Saturday. If he wins we’ll probably have to claim with him next time but we’ll just take it as it comes.”
AAP TURF
