Mark Schmetzer’s $1.3 million The Kosciuszko chance Leo has thrown his hat in the ring after blitzing his 800m trial on Wednesday.
Scone-based horseman Mark Schmetzer’s Kosciuszko hopeful Leo has dominated a trial at Muswellbrook on Wednesday.
The five-year-old won his 800m heat by seven lengths, clocking 32.63 seconds for the final 600m and was eased down close to the line.
A son of I Am Invincible, Leo hasn’t raced since finishing fourth at Gosford in April, but has now trialled twice ahead of his first-up assignment.
Schmetzer failed to gain a slot in the 2020 edition of The Kosciuszko, but has a plan in place to ensure Leo is the forefront of punters’ minds when tickets are drawn on September 9.
“There’s a Highway on the 28th (of August), so he’ll trial, go to the paddock for a week and then come back, have a soft jump out and into the Highway,” he said.
“(Hugh) Bowman’s going to ride him in the Highway.
“Hopefully if we can win that Highway by a couple of lengths and get a slot in The Kosciuszko.
“The Highway is a Class 3, 1000m, and he’s unbeaten over the 1000m at Randwick, for me anyway.
“He’s absolutely low flying.”
Missing the slot in last year’s Kosciuszko has forced Schmetzer to take a different approach with Leo.
With the tickets drawn over a month out from the race, the need to have your horse in form to get selected, and then perform at its best on raceday is a difficult task for trainers.
Schmetzer says it’s a catch 22.
“This year, A: You’ve got to have the class of horse, but B: you’ve also got to time it right,” he said.
“I don’t think you can have a horse up for a long time and try and have it still peaking for a race like that.
“It’s a catch 22, because you need to have them in form to get a slot, but then you can’t have them over the top, you need to have them on the way through.
“Every country trainer is saying their horse is going to 2021 The Kosciuszko, but it’s just got to be done on the track I guess, at the right time.”
The Scone-based trainer will send two chances to the TAB Highway Handicap (1100m) at Randwick this Saturday, headlined by impressive last start winner Surooj.
The four-year-old notched up her first win since her debut run in February 2020, demolishing her opponents by 3-1/4 lengths.
Schmetzer feels he’s now starting to figure out the daughter of Sebring, who will jump from barrier one with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.
“It took a while to work her out and that she is better fresh,” he said.
“We just spaced her runs, from the last one to the Scone win.
“Obviously it worked so we straight away targeted this Highway and we did the same thing, just set her for this race.
“She went straight back out to the paddock for a few days, like I did between her trial and that run.
“She’s cleaned up a lot in the coat and her gallop this morning was as good as usual, so all happy.”
Surooj has opened a $7 chance for this Saturday’s Highway, with Schmetzer’s other runner Invincible Ninja a $14 chance, whilst Leo remains a $51 chance for The Kosciuszko with tab.com.au.
