Trainer Doug Harrison stumbled on a new program that has worked wonders for rising 10-year-old Alrouz.
A fresh-is-best approach has enabled the Cranbourne-trained gelding to win two of his past three starts.
On Wednesday, Alrouz lines up in the Le Pine Funerals Handicap at Sandown while his younger sister Redrouz contests the Chandler Macleod Plate.
Harrison said Alrouz kept cutting his mouth so he changed his work around and he won first-up at Sandown on March 22 before finishing fifth at the same track a week later.
Alrouz returned to Sandown to win on May 10 and Harrison has employed fresh tactics again ahead of Wednesday.
Harrison said the only piece of fast work Alrouz had done since his latest win was in a Cranbourne trial on June 5.
“He does a lot of swimming and working in the sand hill tracks that we have at Cranbourne,” Harrison said.
“He’s been a problem as he keeps cutting his mouth when I work him at home.
“He wants to get going in his work and keeps on irritating his mouth, so I take him away.
“It seems to be working.”
Harrison is not concerned with Alrouz’s wide draw as the horse likes a bit of room.
The one difference is Jake Bayliss replaces Ethan Brown.
Harrison expected Brown to be away in the UK and engaged Bayliss to ride Alrouz in a recent trial and Wednesday’s race.
But Brown arrived at London’s Heathrow airport with an incorrect visa and was sent back home to Melbourne.
While Alrouz lines up for start No.83 on Wednesday, younger sibling Redrouz will be having her third.
The rising five-year-old suffered an unusual injury in her early days.
“As a young horse she grabbed on to the chain in the tie-up at trackwork one morning, pulled backwards and pulled her jaw apart,” Harrison said.
“That took a bit of healing.”
It took until September last year for the mare to make her debut after which she was spelled.
Harrison was full of praise for her return run at Pakenham last month.
“We thought she’d need the run to pick her up, but another 50 metres she would have gone close to winning,” Harrison said.
“I’m looking forward to Wednesday. I think both of them have chances.”
