Colin Scott had Group One ambitions with Speediness thwarted earlier this year but now believes an interstate trip will be the making of the gelding.
Scott, who only has a two-horse team at Pakenham, had to revise plans for the progressive three-year-old after he was balloted out of the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m) last month for which he had been set.
He has planned a two-start interstate mission starting with Saturday’s Listed Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m).
“After not getting a run in the Guineas there really wasn’t a suitable lead-up to go on to the Alister Clark Stakes so we decided we’d put him out so he had 10 or 12 days in the paddock and the plan was to come up for the Scone Guineas,” Scott said.
“This race at Hawkesbury was an ideal race ahead of the Scone Guineas (May 14) and he will have these two starts and then have a nice break and come back for the spring.”
Scott, 40, is a former foreman to trainer Colin Little and works full-time for Julien Welsh who has a breaking and pre-training business at Pakenham.
But Scott also has Speediness and a yearling that he trains as well.
“I have only got two horses and one is a yearling that has just been broken in and gelded and gone to the paddock, so really I’ve just got him,” Scott said.
“Just like anyone, when you are starting out you need a good horse to get you going, it’s such a competitive industry, and I’m just hoping this horse might be that horse to kick me along.”
The son of Testa Rossa, winner of two of his four starts in Victoria, came up with barrier 12 in the 14-horse Hawkesbury Guineas field with the track rated in the heavy range.
Speediness hasn’t raced since winning at Sandown over 1600m in a midweek three-year-old event on February 23.
“He’s going super,” Scott said about the horse who is staying at Scone in the NSW Hunter Valley.
“We got up to Scone last Saturday, I deliberately wanted to get him here early because I think it will be the making of him. A bit of a trip away, staying somewhere different, will just season him for the spring.
“I couldn’t be happier with him.”
The trainer has applied blinkers to Speediness for the first time to ensure the gelding is sharp for Saturday’s event, and has no concerns about a wet track.
“We’ve drawn wide but that may end up being in our favour,” he said.
“By the time it gets to our race they’re going to have to start to scout wide because the track is going to get chopped up, you would imagine.”
Steps In Time was installed favourite at $3.20 with TAB Sportsbet on Thursday ahead of Giresun and Torio’s Quest ($7) with Speediness next in line at $9 with Corey Brown to ride.
AAP TURF
