Fresh from a successful summer stint in Tasmania, Hexy Legs returns to Sandown for what will be his preliminary to a bush Cup in NSW.
The six-year-old is back in the yard of Cranbourne trainer and part-owner Stephen Theodore after a seven-start campaign with Scott Brunton which reaped five wins and two thirds between New Year’s Day and March 21.
Theodore said he struck up a friendship with Brunton when the Tasmanian trainer was in Melbourne for the spring carnival and came up with the idea of Hexy Legs going across Bass Strait for the summer.
“I thought he was a good little horse to send over for the carnival and it proved to be a good recipe,” Theodore said.
The winner of 10 of 36 starts, Hexy Legs has returned to the mainland with a rating of 81, 17 points higher than when he left.
Theodore said the options dried up for Hexy Legs in Tasmania and the gelding would chase his first Melbourne win in Wednesday’s Betfair Hcp (1500m) at Sandown.
“He is partial to wet tracks so he will run at Sandown and then probably in the Tocumwal Cup on Easter Saturday,” Theodore said.
On face value it looks a strange target given the Tocumwal Cup carries prize money of only $7000, but for Theodore it is chance to return each year to his home town of Berrigan, 25km north-east of Tocumwal.
“Being an old Berrigan boy I always take horses up there and to Deniliquin on Easter Monday,” Theodore said.
“I’ll probably put three horses on the float to do the circuit.”
Theodore said Hexy Legs, who he described as “a good little bread and butter horse”, has won just over $86,000 and now faced the prospect of carrying much bigger weights.
“The hardest thing is that he is not overly big and tomorrow he is in a no-claims race and has to lump 59kg,” Theodore said.
After 29mm of rain on Monday night and a total of 53mm for the week, the Sandown track on Tuesday afternoon was rated a heavy nine (9) with more showers forecast for Wednesday.
“He certainly has got the task ahead of him,” Theodore said.
Heavyweight rider Brian Higgins will make a rare city appearance to ride Hexy Legs.
“He (Hexy legs) will be in front for a long way and whatever he does he will only improve on to get his fitness back up for Tocumwal,” Theodore said.
AAP TURF
