Tulloch Lodge has already struck an early-season blow in one of the three-year-old features and they will be out to continue that trend with unassuming colt In The Congo in the San Domenico Stakes.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott produced Swift Witness to outmuscle her rivals in a rough-house renewal of last weekend’s Silver Shadow Stakes and on Saturday at Kembla Grange, they will be looking to In The Congo to upstage the return of Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside.
The stable’s go-to jockey Tim Clark will again be in the saddle, and he says In The Congo is tuned right up for the assignment.
“I galloped him Tuesday and they couldn’t have him going any better,” Clark said.
“If he gets the right run and luck in running and he can’t beat them, that’s just how it is. As far as the horse is going, he is absolutely flying.”
In The Congo will have the advantage of race fitness over Stay Inside, who makes his first appearance since his Golden Slipper heroics in March.
The Tulloch Lodge three-year-old finished second to Saturday’s rival Paulele first-up in the Rosebud in a performance Clark felt had plenty of merit.
“I thought he ran terrific. He was a little bit unlucky, he got held up for a good portion of the straight and when he got out, I thought he got to the line really well and did a good job to finish as close as he did,” Clark said.
“He’s got plenty of talent.
“It’s obviously a pretty strong race on Saturday, which you’d expect, but he’s got a good racing style and he’s going to make his own luck so he’ll either be good enough or he won’t.”
The San Domenico Stakes (1100m) has an outstanding honour roll and has been won by the likes of Testa Rossa (1999), Gold Edition (2006), Snitzerland (2012) and Exceedance (2019).
Saturday’s edition has attracted another quality field that boasts Group One winner Captivant, Godolphin’s brilliant Rosebud winner Paulele and progressive Hawkes Racing colt Remarque.
Kiwi raider Sword Of State is an early scratching.
