In-form trainer Gary Portelli is spreading his team far and wide this weekend and he hopes to deliver some joy to locked-down punters across the country.
Portelli, who had produced 10 winners from his past 50 runners prior to Thursday’s Gosford meeting, will saddle up three horses in Sydney, while Spaceboy flys the flag in Melbourne and Already Blessed heads to Brisbane in search of a dry track.
With residents of Greater Sydney enduring their third successive week of stay-at-home orders and Melburnians about to enter their latest phase of lockdown restrictions, racing is giving many fans a much-needed distraction.
“Our job is to A, keep safe and healthy and B, make sure the punters have something to do while they’re locked down,” Portelli said.
“I’m doing my bit during COVID for the people at home going crazy.”
Amoretti will be among Portelli’s Sydney runners when he contests Saturday’s City Tattersalls Club Handicap (1800m).
The four-year-old was returning from a let up when he made late ground for fifth to Mirra Vision over 1400m at Randwick last start and his trainer regards him as a live chance.
“He ran the second or third fastest last 600 sectional of the whole day. He’s continued to improve at trackwork and the 1800 won’t be a problem on the wet track,” Portelli said.
“He’s got a good jockey, Tommy Berry, and he’s drawn a bit wide but he will roll forward. I really like his chances on the weekend.”
Spaceboy will be making his Victorian debut at Flemington in the Trevor Clarke Handicap (1000m) and his trainer says the speedster is back bigger and better than ever.
His only hesitation is how he will handle his first attempt at the straight course.
“The only thing that could beat him is the straight,” he said.
“I’ve had Rebel Dane who could match it with Chautauqua and all the best sprinters around the Valley but couldn’t get within five or six lengths of them up the straight.
“Until you’ve actually had a crack at the straight, you don’t know how they’re going to react to it.”
Portelli will have to wait until the final race at Eagle Farm to see if Already Blessed can bounce back from two disappointing runs on wet tracks, but he is grateful to be staring down a full afternoon of action.
“There’s not much else to do, we may as well race our horses. We can’t go shopping.”
