Mark Kavanagh will set Elusive Touch for the Group Two Salinger Stakes at Flemington on Derby Day following his victory in the All Victorian Sprint Series Heat 7.
Kavanagh said Elusive Touch would miss the $150,000 All Victorian Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 9 despite Saturday’s win at the track.
“He’s a fantastic straight horse and he’s going to get into a race like that (Salinger) with not much weight coming off a winter handicap,” the Flemington trainer said.
“Then he’ll be OK if we want to keep him going for the Standish (on New Year’s Day).”
Ridden by Michael Rodd, Elusive Touch ($2.80 fav) carried 58.5kg and was always prominent and scored a comfortable three-quarter length win over Gran Sasso ($8.50) with Tollesprit ($13) a half-length away third.
The Elusive Quality five-year-old has won five and been placed in five of his 12 starts and has won three of his four starts down the Flemington straight and finished second in the other.
Saturday’s race was the first time the former Tim Martin-trained sprinter had started at 1000m.
Kavanagh put the blinkers back on the gelding for the first-up assignment.
“We took them off him as we thought being out of a staying mare he may have got out to 1400 metres and then a mile (1600m),” he said.
“But he needed them and he’s better off being kept to the straight course.”
Meanwhile, Kavanagh was forgiving of Shadowfax ($2.35 fav) who finished 12th to Dr Nipandtuck in the Winter Championship Series Heat 6 (1420m).
“He was forced to go forward. We had him a little fresh, he was stuck three deep with no cover and when they sprinted he was left flat-footed and then he got knocked out of the race at the 250-metre mark,” he said.
“If I was a punter I would be forgiving of him.”
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