Darley’s younger brigade has already fired at the elite level this spring but it will be one of the veterans of the racing operation chasing Group One success at Caulfield next weekend.
Seven-year-old Pinwheel is one of Peter Snowden’s stable favourites and is being readied for another tilt at the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on Sunday after his hopes were dashed at the start last year.
Snowden has kept Pinwheel back since his Group Two Warwick Stakes win last month to target the 1400m feature in Melbourne, believing it is the honest campaigner’s best chance to notch a victory at racing’s top level.
The Darley team has already had a successful start to the spring with three-year-olds Epaulette and Albrecht running the quinella in the $1 million Group One Golden Rose.
Pinwheel kept ticking over towards the Rupert Clarke with a barrier trial hitout at Rosehill last week.
“He’ll head to Caulfield for the Rupert Clarke,” Snowden said.
“He ran really well in it last year. He jumped and slipped at the start and was back last. He was on his nose for the first two strides (and finished 13th).
“Hopefully history doesn’t repeat itself and we can be up on the speed and he can be competitive.
“I hope he doesn’t get too much weight even though it’s a handicap and his rating is pretty high.
“We’re tipping about 55 or 56 kilograms which gives him a good hope because he’s in good form.”
Pinwheel, who was fourth in the $1 million Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in June and third in the Group One Goodwood (1200m) in Adelaide last year, has returned this spring with victories in the Group Three Missile Stakes (1200m) and the Group Two Warwick Stakes (1400m).
Snowden decided not to press on to races over 1600m in Sydney because it would have hindered his chances in the Caulfield feature.
“I was tempted to run him at Warwick Farm in the Chelmsford Stakes over a mile but I just thought if we went there it would have taken the edge off him,” Snowden said.
“I think going back to Caulfield, he needs to have that bit of freshness in his legs to be up on the speed in that sort of race.”
Epaulette will run in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude at Sunday’s meeting a day after Albrect tackles the Stan Fox Stakes at Rosehill.
