Danny O’Brien is thrilled to have Iconoclasm as an addition to his team and the trainer will get a better guide on big race targets for the talented horse after he makes his return in the VOBIS Gold Sprint at Caulfield.
Iconoclasm ended his previous campaign with a couple of unplaced runs in Group One races in Perth before joining O’Brien’s stable after his former trainer Darren Weir was disqualified earlier this year.
The four-year-old steps out for O’Brien for the first time in Saturday’s $250,000 race over 1200m ahead of a possible Queensland campaign.
“I’m very pleased to have him, obviously,” O’Brien said.
“He’s coming off a good break. He finished up in Perth at the end of the spring and then he had a nice spell at Rosemont Stud and we got him at the start of this preparation.
“He’s had a trial at Werribee and a trial at Flemington.
“He’s a big four-year-old stallion so he probably will improve for going to the races on Saturday but that VOBIS Sprint is a good race for him to kick off in.
“He will be hitting the line hard. It’s just whether or not he can get over the top of a couple of quick ones in front of him.”
Winner of seven of his 15 starts, Iconoclasm shared the second line of betting with Ashlor at $3.90 on Friday behind last-start stakes winner Miss Leonidas ($2.80).
O’Brien has been impressed by Iconoclasm.
“He’s very talented and just a really impressive horse,” O’Brien said.
“We’re hoping that he might end up in Queensland. We’ll get a look at him on Saturday and see where he’s going.”
The Stradbroke Handicap in June could be a target for the horse who is unbeaten in three attempts over the distance of that Group One race.
“He’s got a very good record at 1400 metres and he’s still probably weighted well enough in a handicap, so if he showed his best then that would be a chance,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien also has Remember The Name in Saturday’s VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m).
“We’ve always wanted to see her at 2000 metres and we’ll get that chance on Saturday,” he said.
