When Greg Eurell learned he was taking over training of Over Boost, he wouldn’t have thought he’d be a leading contender for a city race at his stable debut, as he will be at Sandown on Wednesday.
The Toronado gelding came to Eurell after six starts in Hong Kong, where he beat home a total of six horses.
There, known as Bullish Unicorn, he finished 11th of 14 on debut, ran last three starts in a row before a 10th of 12 and second-last placing over 1800m in July last year.
They are performances Eurell can’t get entirely out of his head, but the Cranbourne trainer could not be happier with what he has seen from the four-year-old who was initially trained by Bjorn Baker before being sold to Hong Kong.
“He came back pretty light in condition but as soon as he hit Australian turf again he continued to improve, started to put on weight, looked better in the eye and seemed more relaxed in himself,” Eurell said.
“Bit by bit that transition has continued and his work has complemented how the horse looks.
“On what he’s displayed in his trials and his work, you’d be hoping that he can bowl a maiden over and be looking at some better races going forward.”
Over Boost will resume from barrier five in the eight-horse $50,000 IVE> Print Maiden Plate (1300m) with Jye Mcneil aboard.
His two jumpouts have produced a win over the promising Holt and Group 1 winner Sierra Sue over 850m on January 17 before a second placing to British Columbia over 1000m on February 1.
“We’ve tried to get him as fit as we can because he’ll bounce out and roll forward. He’s a strong on-pacer and I didn’t want to have any excuses at all,” Eurell said.
Over Boost is battling it out for favouritism with the Chris Waller-trained Chain, while Eurell’s other runner for the day is also a leading fancy.
Prowling resumes in the Ladbrokes Cash In Handicap (1000m) off a Cranbourne trial second placing and Eurell is thrilled with the transformation he has made between campaigns.
“His jumpouts have been great,” Eurell said. “Has he improved? Yes. He’s strengthened up and mentally he’s a bit more experienced and aware of what’s going on.
“The 1000 metres might be just a little bit sharp for him, but he’s going to be hitting the line well late and is in for a good campaign.”
