Group-winning colt Sircconi will be out to confirm Caulfield Guineas plans when he runs in a Listed race at Flemington, seven days before the $2 million feature for three-year-olds.
The Peter Morgan-trained Sircconi defeated older horses over 1400m second-up at Caulfield last Saturday week after an interrupted preparation.
Morgan is convinced last season’s Group Two VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner has improved since his most recent win going into Saturday’s Listed Antler Luggage Stakes (1400m).
“He has certainly improved in his condition, as far as getting fitter goes,” Morgan said.
“I’m pretty happy the way he worked this morning.
“The way he looked this morning I probably wished it was the Guineas this Saturday actually, but it’s not.”
Instead, Morgan plans to back the colt up in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on Saturday week providing everything goes to plan this Saturday.
Morgan said Sircconi got a virus after his first-up failure at Moonee Valley in late-August which meant the trainer missed a planned race with the colt at Flemington last month and instead had to wait another week to take on older horses at Caulfield.
After Sircconi’s long-neck win at Caulfield Morgan believed the colt had about three lengths improvement in him and reckons he might have made that improvement.
“I reckon he’s near his peak,” he said.
Sircconi has barrier nine in the field of 11 on Saturday and Morgan believes the colt has been underrated so far.
He is at $6.50 with the James Cummings-trained Esperance the $4.60 favourite ahead of Taking Aim ($5) and Chauffeur ($5.50).
Esperance won his first two starts at Echuca and Sandown before finishing sixth in the Group Two Danehill Stakes (1200m).
“We deliberately avoided the Guineas Prelude last weekend in order to focus on this race,” Cummings said.
“He should be well-suited on the bigger track and appears to be ready to enjoy getting out in distance.
“He meets a field of equally promising three-year-olds so he’ll need to keep improving to be getting over the top of these horses.”
