The race looks right but the track may prove telling for odds-on favourite Portarlington.
The Phillip Stokes-trained Portarlington has the credentials to score at Morphettville Parks, but the significantly wet track is playing on the mind of connections.
Portarlington is the $1.75 early favourite in betting on the Quayclean Handicap (1250m) on Saturday, something that has assistant-trainer Kerrin Stokes a little nervous.
Of the eight acceptors for Saturday’s race, Portarlington is the only winner and at his most recent outing finished third in the Group 3 David Coles Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on May 9.
Prior to that, Portarlington took on the older horses when resuming, finishing ninth in a benchmark 64 race, beaten just over two-and-a-half lengths.
Stokes said the two-year-old was hesitant that day racing between horses and blinkers were applied for the David Coles Stakes.
That performance was on a Soft 6 track, and Stokes said Portarlington had ‘just’ handled the track conditions.
Stokes said the rise in trip to 1250m would suit Portarlington who he suggests will make a nice 1400m or 1600m horse in the future.
“He meets a nice race on Saturday over a trip that he’s looking for,” Stokes said.
“There’s been a few races that we’ve missed, and they were hard to miss, but we didn’t want to be bringing him back in trip.
“It’s a step up in trip on Saturday and we feel he’s going to be a nice 1400-metre, miler type of horse in time, but the one major query is it’s going to be a heavy track.
“We’ve had a lot of rain, and I don’t know if he will handle it, but he’s just got to handle it enough to beat the rest of the field.
“I think he can as he’s going well as you can see by his form.”
Saturday’s Morphettville Parks surface is already rated a Heavy 9 with showers forecast on Friday and Saturday.
Stokes said Portarlington was a ‘laid back’ two-year-old which should take him a long way.
“I want to see him getting up to 1400 (metres) or a mile,” Stokes said.
“There’s a nice 1400-metre coming up after this week.”
