Exciting frontrunner Dusty Star has progressed quicker than anticipated and will resume ahead of schedule in the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield.
Jockey Craig Williams is upbeat about the rising four-year-old who has delighted trainer Peter Morgan with his track gallops ahead of Saturday’s 1200-metre weight-for-age assignment.
Morgan had planned the Group Two Lawrence Stakes (1400m), better known as the weight-for-age Liston Stakes, on August 13 for the gelding’s spring campaign launch.
“His original program was the Liston first-up but he has come to hand reasonably quickly so I thought maybe he should have a run on Saturday ahead of that,” Morgan said.
He said Dusty Star was stronger than last campaign and was working with much more zip on the track.
The Bletchingly will be one of the shortest races Dusty Star has contested.
Only five times has he raced under 1300 metres while his four wins from 15 starts have been over 1300 metres and 1400 metres.
“Early days I thought he needed a mile (1600m) or longer but the way he looks at the moment he looks like he might be a sprinter – a 1200-metre, 1400-metre horse,” Morgan said.
“Certainly he is working that well it is suggestive that he could sprint well fresh.”
Dusty Star’s high cruising speed is a feature of his racing style but he was running on empty at the end of his autumn campaign.
After showing so much promise he faded at his last two runs at Flemington where he had a “gutbuster” in the Group Three CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) which bottomed him for the Australian Guineas (1600m).
“The Guineas was a bit of an afterthought and we hadn’t really planned it properly for him,” Morgan said, excusing the performance.
“It only became part of his program when he won the Group Two race (D’Urban Stakes, 1400m) at Caulfield but then he had a gutbuster in the Hayes on that very windy day at Flemington and I think that was the end of him.
“He shouldn’t have run in the Guineas but it was a Group One race for three-year-olds.”
Morgan hasn’t ruled out stretching Dusty Star back out to 1600 metres but for now is happy to aim him at the sprints.
Williams will ride Dusty Star in the Bletchingly while the Lawrence Stakes is particularly appealing as it is often targeted by stayers which would give Dusty Star his chance to run them off their legs.
“The stayers coming back, they all flop out of the gates and tag along, so if I have him fit he can roll along and be hard for them to pick them up,” Morgan said.
“He might not be up to the better ones when they come along later on, but he might be able to pick up one of the good races early.”
AAP TURF
