Mornington trainer Peter White has settled on a 2000m race at Flemington for promising galloper Inspector.
The five-year-old runs in a benchmark 84 race on Saturday after also being nominated for similar races over 1400m and 2500m.
White said he had nominated the gelding for the additional races in case there were small entries.
Burdened with 60.5kg, White has booked Jake Baylis to take 3kg off the gelding’s impost.
“It brings him in nice enough, but it’s still not that easy these days winning a race,” White said.
Kept to shorter distances for the majority of his career, Inspector has been slowly stepped up in trip this campaign.
The son of California Dane scored at his first try at 1600m when successful at Mornington in November before two more starts at that trip.
He then stepped up further in distance when an unlucky third in the Traralgon Cup over 1900m at his most recent outing.
“He shouldn’t have been where he was in the race, back in the field,” White said.
“He got held up on the turn, got a bump in the straight and only got beaten a length.”
White said it was always his intention to step Inspector out in distance but it was the gelding’s quirks that delayed that move.
Inspector’s dam Inspect was successful up to 2000m and she is a sister to multiple Group One winner Intergaze.
“The horse is a bit of a fizz head at the races and his behaviour is not the best,” White said.
“He’s getting better but he can be a bit keen in the first couple of furlongs.
“He needs a firm track, needs the speed on and he has a good sprint.
“Hopefully we can get the money.”
