Lightly raced Dollar For Dollar will be out to bounce back from the only unplaced run of his career when he returns to Victorian racing at Flemington.
The Tony McEvoy-trained four-year-old has won three of his five starts but was unplaced at Gawler in his most recent outing after a first-up victory at Balaklava.
Dollar For Dollar has since been sent from South Australia to McEvoy’s Flemington base and will line up in Saturday’s VRC Recognition Handicap (1600m) for which he is among the main chances.
The gelding finished seventh as the $2.45 favourite in the benchmark-75 race at Gawler.
McEvoy’s Melbourne foreman Michael Shepherdson is happy to forgive that run.
“He ran on a heavy nine at Gawler and didn’t enjoy it,” Shepherdson said.
“It was later in the day and everyone wanted to get to the outside fence. It was a very messy race and he didn’t love the heavy nine track.
“He will appreciate getting to Flemington on a big open track and be able to go through his gears a bit better.”
Flemington was rated in the good range on Friday.
Dollar For Dollar has only raced once in Victoria, winning over 1600m on the Ballarat Cup program last November.
He didn’t race again until last month’s 1400m-win at Balaklava.
“He had a bit of pain in his knee so we had to back off and give him the time he needed,” Shepherdson said.
Dollar For Dollar is by High Chaparral out of Pretty Penny whose progeny include 2013 Zipping Classic winner Sertorius.
Irish import Ebediyin, the winner of two of his seven starts for trainer Dermot Weld, makes his Australian debut for the Darren Weir stable and is the early $3.90 favourite in the benchmark-78 race..
