Time and patience are proving a successful combination for connections of Hard To Say as he attempts to extend his winning sequence to five in the $300,000 The Warra at Kembla Grange.
The sprinter has been a revelation this campaign, book ending back-to-back victories in Brisbane with a first-up triumph at Rosehill in August and a last-start win at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.
While some astute placement has been a telling factor, trainer Jason Deamer also believes the four-year-old has come of age.
“He eventually got gelded and it took a little while but then the penny dropped and now he’s putting it all together,” Deamer said.
“Before, if you wanted to push him to be a bit handy, he’d want to keep going and not come back under you.
“Now you can put him wherever you want to put him and hell go to sleep and finish the race off too.
“He has just really matured and settled down nicely.”
While Hard To Say is putting the form on the board as an older horse, he has long shown promise.
Making his debut in the 2021 Breeders’ Plate, he finished fourth to Sejardan before notching a stakes placing during that year’s summer carnival in Brisbane.
It took the gelding procedure and maturity for him to rediscover that type of form, and now that he has, Deamer believes he can maintain it.
Hard To Say will have to overcome barrier 12 in the 15-horse field for The Warra (1000m), but if he runs to expectations, a trip to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions carnival in January awaits.
“It’s a 1000-metre race, they will be humming along,” Deamer said.
“That will suit him, and he should be able to slot in somewhere, it’s a pretty good start there at Kembla.
“He’s a Magic Millions horse so similar to what we did after Eagle Farm, he will have a week off, a little bit of a freshen up and then we’ll get him ready for the Magic Millions, all going well.”
Deamer will also saddle up Awesome Lad in the Midway Handicap (1400m) and says the gelding has thrived since landing a confidence-boosting win in Brisbane last start.
“Back down here he’s up in weight but he’s drawn ideally, and I think the trip away has done him good, he’s been nice and bright since he came home and very sharp,” he said.
“He’s coming back a little bit in distance but other than that, it looks a nice race for him.”
