Fresh off a Highway win last Saturday, trainer Matthew Dale is looking to continue that winning form this Saturday and will look to do it via a two pronged attack at Randwick and Flemington.
According to Dale, his best chance of a win will come in the 78 over 2000m at Randwick, where he will have two runners, Belfast Bella and Animalia, with the trainer clearly opting for the former as the number one seed.
“She was very stiff at Hawkesbury last start,” Dale told Justhorseracing.
“Got back in a slowly run race, tight track, not much room in the straight, she should have won.
“Looking at the ballot order, she should scrape into the field and prove hard to beat with Robbie Dolan taking the ride.
“Animalia has done well since the Wagga Cup and with the 3kg claim for Billy Owen, he gets in with 55.5kg, so he will be running well again.”
Dale will more than likely have two runners at Flemington, Prometheus and Dark Eyes, and while the trainer thinks both will be around the mark, he did warn punters about each of them.
“Prometheus is a bit hot and cold with his form,” He said.
“Last start was below par, which he can do at times, so he’ll go back to Flemington, the scene of his impressive win a few runs ago, and hopefully bounce back. Steve Baster will be aboard.
“Been happy with Dark Eyes after the Wagga Cup and he’ll run in the Winter Championship Heat with Damien Thornton steering, who got him home a couple of runs back.
“He does seem a horse who thrives on the back, so while I think he’ll run a positive race on the weekend, there is a 2000m race at Caulfield a week later that will suit him better I feel.”
Also in the nominations for the weekend is his talented sprinting mare Sei Stella, who is down to run in the 78 over 1000m at Randwick, but the trainer has said the mare will likely be saved for next week.
“She’s come back into the stable great.
“She’s had a couple of jumpouts and looked very good, but I do want to get some blacktype next to her name, so it’s pretty certain that she’ll run in the Lightning at Doomben next week, but I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s going.”
