Having saddled six winners in the past fifteen days, Peter Snowden is looking to the improving Cassiel to continue his end of season momentum at Randwick.
The lightly raced four-year-old was scratched from Canterbury on Wednesday in preference for The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1000m) with the prospect of a drying track the deciding factor.
“It was a heavy nine (at Canterbury). I almost went with him but I thought, if he got beaten a head at Canterbury and it was a good four on Saturday, I ‘d be kicking myself,” Snowden said.
“So I made the decision to pull out and wait for Saturday.
“He’s a nice horse. Still learning but he is starting to put it all together now and it’s coming through in his efforts on the track.
“He is racing very well, consistently without overdoing it and he is finding the line really well. He’s a chance on Saturday.”
A son of Harry Angel, Cassiel is unbeaten in two runs this campaign, resuming with an all-the-way win at Canterbury in April and again getting the job done at Hawkesbury last start.
He will be bidding to add to what has already been a momentous few weeks for the stable with promising two-year-old Raging Force scoring a decisive victory at Rosehill last weekend while seven days earlier, Tashi was finally rewarded for her consistency with her Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) triumph at Eagle Farm.
“That was the highlight of the year,” Snowden said.
“For that horse to win that race was just so good. She had been so unlucky so many times and to finally get a Group One meant a lot.”
Cassiel is a $5 chance to make it a hat-trick of wins on Saturday and will be one of just two runners for the stable along with California Sunrise ($14) in the Precise Air Handicap (1400m).
The pair can continue Snowden’s terrific end to the season with the trainer having produced 11 winners from his past 50 starters leading into Thursday’s Gosford meeting.
