When the final field for The Goodwood is declared on Tuesday, co-trainers Richard and Chantelle Jolly will be hoping that a few horses ranked above their sprinter Karacasu drop off the list for the five-year-old can gain a start.
Of the 27 nominations taken for the $1 million Group 1 feature over 1200-metres to be run at Morphettville, Karacasu is 26th in the order of entry.
With a final field of 20 runners plus four emergencies, making it there on Saturday might be tight.
However, though the gelding is at cricket score odds in all-in markets to win the race, Richard has not lost sight of why he thinks he should be there.
“He’s been going good but he’ll battle to get a run,” he said.
“He’s been running in similar races and being beaten less than two-lengths so he is going quite good.”
Karacasu comes out of the Group 3 John Hawkes Stakes (1100m) won by Extremely Lucky on April 27 where he finished seventh, 1.8-lengths behind the winner.
What will help Karacasu’s cause is that stablemate Master Eight – 21st in the order – is unlikely to accept for The Goodwood.
Finishing last in the field of 14, beaten by less than seven-lengths in that same 1100-metre event in the gelding’s first start in Australia since being sent to the Jollys after a 21-start career in Hong Kong, Jolly says that taking him back a grade would be beneficial at this stage.
“He won his first five starts in Hong Kong and he got to that level and wasn’t quite good enough,” he added.
“He got there too quickly, and not we’ve decided to send him back and maybe take him to Melbourne.
“He went too hard the other day and we rode him a bit too aggressively and he was highballing it in front.”
En-route to her new Sydney home with Annabel Neasham, Perth star Amelia’s Jewel is the $3.50 favourite for The Goodwood with the Neasham-trained Learning To Fly on the second line of betting at $8.
