After expecting better from Divine Mr Artie in his return to racing, trainer Brendan McCarthy is looking for the gelding to produce his best form at Flemington.
Premiership-chasing Craig Williams will be re-united with Divine Mr Artie in Saturday’s KA Morrison Handicap (1200m) having won two of his six rides on the sprinter-miler in the past year.
Apprentice Brandon Stockdale rode Divine Mr Artie in his first-up run at Caulfield over 1200m on July 1 when the gelding ran on from back in the field for fifth.
Leodoro came from behind Divine Mr Artie to win and McCarthy admitted he was a little disappointed in the performance.
“He was definitely capable of better,” McCarthy said.
“And I thought he was going well enough to run better.
“He didn’t have a lot of luck in that he was caught a bit wide and he had to go back, but he still didn’t finish off like I know he can.
“It probably wasn’t a disappointing run but it was more that he didn’t do what I thought he was capable of, so that was the disappointing side of it.”
Divine Mr Artie returns to racing down the Flemington straight and McCarthy has been pleased with the way the rising five-year-old has trained on.
“Looking at him now, he’s going into this even better than he went into his first-up run,” he said.
“I reckon a couple of his best runs have been at Flemington down the straight.
“He was very unlucky in a race on Melbourne Cup day early in his career (in 2015) and probably his best win so far was when he won first-up down the straight last preparation.”
Divine Mr Artie’s most recent of three straight-track attempts was a fifth in the Standish Handicap second-up last campaign.
McCarthy said Williams chased the ride which he took as a good sign.
“I think last year when he won at the final meeting of the season (at Caulfield) it helped Craig secure the premiership, so I’m hoping it might be able to do the same for him this year,” he said.
Williams shares the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership lead with Beau Mertens with three meetings remaining and Divine Mr Artie is part of a strong book of eight rides on Saturday.
