The Victoria Derby prospects of a pair of Lindsay Park-trained three-year-olds will be put to the test in the Caulfield Classic.
Stablemates Sikorsky and Muswellbrook will step up to 2000m for the first time in Saturday’s $350,000 Group Three race at Caulfield.
Sikorsky is coming off a game second to Caulfield Classic favourite Extra Brut in the Listed UCI Stakes (1800m) at Flemington last start and co-trainer Tom Dabernig is confident the colt will relish the extra distance.
“I think he’s been building up to this,” Dabernig said.
“I think he’ll really come into his own at this distance.
“It’s an unknown but he looks like that type of horse.
“He’s a full-brother to Tulip but quite different. He looks like he needs ground but she’s predominantly a sprinter.”
The stable has opted to run Muswellbrook on a seven-day back-up after he finished eighth in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) when he jumped from the inside barrier.
Muswellbrook will have winkers instead of the blinkers he wore in the Guineas.
“In the Guineas it looked like he had the great run but he’s a momentum horse and nothing took him into the race,” Dabernig said.
“They came back in his lap and he lost his momentum and he couldn’t really show his best in run to the line.
‘We thought if we back him up we’ll have a bit of an idea whether we go a couple of weeks into a Derby or whether we wait for Oaks day for a Listed 1800-metre race.”
