Tried And Tired will attempt to go one better in the Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington than his second in a photo-finish a year ago.
The six-year-old is one of two horses from the Leon and Troy Corstens stable nominated for Saturday’s Listed 1400m race at Flemington.
Leon Corstens said the plan was for both General Groove and Tried And Tired to contest the $120,000 race which has attracted 15 nominations.
Tried And Tired was beaten a half-head by the Gerald Ryan-trained Red Excitement in the 2015 edition.
Sydney-based Ryan will be chasing his second straight win in the event, entering last-start Canterbury Classic runner-up Dances On Stars.
Tried And Tired loomed up in the Group Three Standish Handicap on January 1 before finishing fourth, a length from winner Durendal, in a performance that left Leon Corstens underwhelmed.
“I was a little bit disappointed,” Corstens said.
“Although he didn’t finish far from the winner I just thought that he might have gone a little bit better. But it was his first time down the straight and he might have got a bit lost the last little bit.
“But other than that he’s done really well since the race.”
The trainer believes the weights might be crucial as to which of the stable’s two runners finishes best but expects them both to run well.
“I don’t think there’s that much between them,” he said.
“I suppose on weights General Groove might come in a bit better.”
General Groove has 55kg, 3.5kg less than his stablemate.
Corstens believes six-year-old General Groove has improved from his last-start fifth in the Listed Christmas Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Boxing Day.
“I was very pleased with him in the Christmas Stakes and I thought he might have just still been in need of that run,” Corstens said.
“He’s come on really well since.”
“Stephen Baster will ride him again and he knows the horse so we’re quite pleased with that.”
Import Lord Van Percy is the highest-rated horse in the nominations and heads the weights with 60kg.
Formerly trained by Andrew Balding, Lord Van Percy has not raced since finishing fifth in the 2014 Herbert Power Stakes and is entered to make his debut for the Darren Weir stable.
