An Easter Cup scratching has paved the way for Saint Or Sinner to get his chance at a fifth-straight win – and his most important yet.
Saint Or Sinner was first emergency for the Group Three race at Caulfield but a withdrawal on Thursday elevated him into the field and provided the opportunity to try to cap his campaign with a breathrough stakes victory.
Trainer Mike Moroney expects the 2000-metre race to give him a valuable insight into what the rising five-year-old could be aimed at in the spring.
“It looks a pretty strong race but he’s got to be a good lightweight chance,” Moroney said.
“His assets are that he can put himself anywhere in the race so he’s getting to a stage now where he’s getting reasonably bombproof in a race.”
Saint Or Sinner’s winning run started at Werribee on Australia Day and he followed it up with restricted-race wins at Mornington, Flemington and Morphettville.
Moroney wanted to run him at Moonee Valley last start, in a race won by Le Roi, but when he was an emergency he instead sent him to Adelaide where he defeated Gamblin’ Guru over 1600m by 1-3/4 lengths.
“I thought his last win in Adelaide was probably his best yet,” Moroney said.
Group One winner Mourayan drops in class from his last-start fourth in the Australian Cup and sits on the second line of betting at $4.40 behind promising import Our Voodoo Prince ($3.20) who has won his two Australian starts in impressive fashion.
Moroney knows it will be a big test for Saint Or Sinner, an $8 chance, stepping to Group company for the first time.
“It’s a pretty big step on Saturday, and if he can come through that alright, well we’ve got something to work with for the spring,” he said.
Stablemate Garud resumes in the Group Three Victoria Handicap ahead of a planned trip to Queensland with the Brisbane Cup a target.
A Group Three placegetter over 2000m last campaign, Garud has a solid first-up record over 1400m.
