Adelaide trainer Phillip Stokes is planning to test two-year-old Captain Duffy in Melbourne for the first time in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final at Flemington.
Captain Duffy has had three starts in Adelaide and broke his maiden with a narrow win in a two-year-old handicap over 1200m at Morphettville on June 25.
“I think he’s crying out for the mile and basically that’s the only mile race for two-year-olds that we can find in this part of the world,” Stokes said.
“He’s a last-start winner and I just thought it would be a good time to send him over there to see where he sits in the bigger picture.
“His last-start win was courageous. He found the line well and I just want to see where he’s at.”
Saturday’s Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) has attracted 17 nominations including Godolphin colt Trenchant who raced to a convincing win at Flemington over 1400m last Saturday week.
Trenchant and the Mick Sell-trained Moshway, fourth to Trenchant last start, head the weights with 59kg.
The performance of Captain Duffy is likely to determine whether the colt is put on a path towards more races in Victoria as a spring three-year-old.
“I know where he sits back here in Adelaide,” Stokes said.
“He hasn’t really beaten much so we’ll just see where he fits in over there.
“If he steps up and wins you might see him over the spring, and if he doesn’t he’ll be back here.”
Patrick Moloney will ride Captain Duffy on Saturday.
The Taj Rossi Series Final is one of four Listed races on Saturday’s program along with the Winter Championship Series Final (1600m), the All Victorian Sprint Series Final (1200m) and the A R Creswick Series Final (1200m).
In-form gelding Jacquinot Bay heads the weights for the Winter Championship Series Final with 60kg having won his past two starts over 1400m.
The Darren Weir-trained Thermal Current, last-start winner of the $100,000 Golden Topaz (1200m) at Swan Hill, heads the weights for the All Victorian Sprint Series Final with 60kg ahead of Reldas on 59.5kg.
