Barrier one is the shortest way home, as they say, and because of that trainer Andrew Bobbin is directing in-form galloper Rich Champagne to Morphettville Parks on Saturday instead of the Mount Gambier Cup on Friday.
That factor together with the services of Todd Pannell has Bobbin preferring the task of the PFD Food Services Handicap (1950m) in Adelaide.
Mind over matter has been a challenge for the four-year-old gelding and the country air of Bobbin’s training property in The Grampians, 220 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, has been key to Rich Champagne becoming a better racehorse.
After wins at Great Western, Morphettville Parks over the same distance, and at Moonee Valley, Rich Champagne is shooting for four-straight wins this weekend.
“He has been really progressive and in his first preparation when he came to me he was still very new and a bit of flighty type of horse,” Bobbin said.
“He would jump at his own shadow when he first arrived but we worked him all around the farm and up bush tracks and he has really settled in.
“In his second preparation he is the model student.”
Rich Champagne is the third favourite for the seventh event at $6.50 with fellow Victorian Unthinkable, trained by Mitchell Freedman, the firming $3.50 punters’ elect.
“It was all a mental game for him,” Bobbin added.
“He is still doing a bit too much in his races and I would have loved to see him drop his head in his run at Moonee Valley but that will all come.
“He is a testament to our property with plenty of variety and his former trainer (Aaron Purcell) is a good mate of mine and he sent him to me and said ‘have a go with this bloke’ and that he would suit our environment.
“That is exactly how it has turned out.”
Noting that Rich Champagne is fit and with more to come, spring features could be on the cards.
“When the penny drops, he might be a progressive 2000-metre horse for country Cups over the coming years.”
