Lamasery could go into the Group One Metropolitan in three weeks without another run after the promising stayer scored a gutsy second-up victory in Saturday’s Group Three Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill.
David Vandyke produced a great training performance to have the lightly-raced five-year-old fit enough for the 2000m contest second-up, and Lamasery showed fighting qualities to hold off the challenge of Crafty Irna to win by a head.
The pair cleared out from the rest of the field with Mourayan 3-1/2 lengths away in third.
Lamasery, the winner of eight of his 14 starts, is nominated for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups but the Group One Metropolitan (2400m) in Sydney on October 1 will be his first objective.
“He’ll probably go to the Metrop but I don’t know yet if he’ll run in the Colin Stephen first before the Metrop,” Vandyke said.
“He’s always told me where to go so I’ll just play it by ear.
“I would be worried going into the Metropolitan third-up but in saying that I was worried going into a 2000-metre Group race second-up today.”
Jockey Brenton Avdulla settled back in the field on Lamasery before starting to work into the race approaching the home turn.
Avdulla came wide around most of the field on Lamasery rounding the turn and he and runner-up Crafty Irna were the widest two runners into the straight before forging clear.
“The other horse was going to get him 10 times but he just wouldn’t give in,” Avdulla said.
“I really like him. He could develop into a serious horse.”
Glyn Schofield, who had earlier won the Group One Golden Rose on Manawanui, had to settle for second on Crafty Irna.
“She’s racing more dour,” Schofield said of the Ron Quinton-trained mare.
“The winner showed more ping than her but then she was starting to wear him down but just couldn’t get there.”
AAP TURF
