There are options aplenty for promising mare Gently Rolled if she passes what trainer Bryce Heys sees as a decent test at Randwick on Saturday.
The four-year-old is strongly fancied by the market, $2.80 favourite with TAB on Thursday, in the Westmead Institute For Medical Research Handicap (1300m) after a closing second when resuming three weeks ago.
With a $1 million Final in April, the Provincial-Midway Championships series could be an option Bryce Heys explores if she can record her third career win.
“She’s a beautiful mare and she’s got a nice little race record, she’s always been that sort of mare that given a bit of time will fill into herself,” Heys said.
“The plan is to run her here and see where we are at and make some decisions after Saturday as to where we go.
“For a long time we’ve felt we will find out a bit more about her this prep, with distance and grade and what might be for her.
“I’d rather see her do it first before we get too carried away.”
Gently Rolled was to be ridden by James McDonald on Saturday but when the premier jockey was indisposed Heys quickly moved to lock in Zac Lloyd.
The champion apprentice was the mare’s partner in her two trials prior to her second behind Willaidow, where she clocked a 32.93 last 600m (Punter’s Intelligence), in a 1200m Midway at Rosehill.
“Zac would have been on her first-up but he was away, James was booked to ride her but now he’s off and it was lucky it fell the way that Zac was still available,” Heys said.
“She’s been very good each time she’s gone to the races.
“She can get back a little bit but she’s raced well, I feel, each time she’s gone to the races and I’m expecting no different.”
Stable favourite Key Largo kicks off another preparation in the Laurel Oak Bloodstock Handicap (1000m), his first assignment away from Group company in 12 months.
Heys said the gelding’s two runs in Melbourne in the spring should be completely ignored and feels he has Key Largo in a good place to fire first-up given an expected solid tempo up front.
The seven-year-old is a bit of a heartbreaker because of his racing style but he has the turn of foot that can make him dangerous in any race.
“There’s good speed in there so naturally that will be good for him but he will get back anyway,” he said.
“He’s a horse that’s best ridden quiet for him to be effective. What comes with that territory, you lose more than you win.
“He’s a real stable favourite and we’ve been waiting for a benchmark race for him for a while.”
Last year Heys set Key Largo, who has won four from 28, for the Group 1 Galaxy and he ran a creditable fifth behind Mariamia.
It’s likely the bar will be a little lower this time around.
“The obvious thing is to try to get him back in the winner’s circle for the connections involved,” Heys said.
“There’s no reason not to consider the Galaxy but he might be better off chasing a Wagga Town Plate or something like that.
“To warrant going to the Galaxy he’d need to be winning a race between now and then.”
