Trainer Dan Meagher is set to unveil three ex-Singapore gallopers at Caulfield.
Trainer Dan Meagher is set to unveil the second highest horse he brought back from Singapore in a 1400m contest at Caulfield.
Meagher elected to keep Lim’s Saltoro in Melbourne for a 1400m benchmark 100 contest at Caulfield on Saturday rather than make the eight-hour journey to Adelaide to contest the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
The trainer also had his star galloper Lim’s Kosciuszko entered over in Adelaide but has decided to wait a little longer before unveiling him.
Meagher said he would have preferred a 1200m contest for Lim’s Saltoro to commence his Australian campaign but believes the five-year-old has done the work to be run well on Saturday.
“He’s had three trials and jump-outs, and I took him away for two of them,” Meagher said.
“You have to remember he has not done that before, travelling and then raceing so I thought it was pretty important for him to do that, and I think he got a lot of benefit out of it.
“He’s going super. He’s a very good horse and I have no doubt he will measure up here, but I just don’t know at what level.
“It’s a learning curve on Saturday. He’s got a great record, but where does that line up here.”
Lim’s Saltoro had a look at Caulfield when trialling on the Heath track on April 10 before running second in a Moe jump-out on April 28.
“I trialled him at the Caulfield Heath, and he went terrific,” Meagher said.
“He’s had three goes at 1400 metres, for two wins and a second, and first-up after six months or so, I probably would have preferred 1200 or 1300 metres, but he’s had the trials, so we’ll see.”
Lim’s Saltoro will be joined by Lim’s Ida who, like his stablemate, raced in Singapore but was prepared by Steven Burridge.
Meagher said Lim’s Ida had been competitive against Lim’s Salotro and Lim’s Kosciuszko in Singapore, but he will get a better guide as to where he stands in the peaking order in Australia.
“He’s an older horse that I need to place pretty well to win, but he seems to be going pretty well,” Meagher said.
“I haven’t got any gear on him. I want to see how he shapes up and then I’ll get serious with him.”
Meagher said Lim’s Bighorn and Arentee would also run in a benchmark 84 race over 1200m on Saturday.
