An inside barrier draw for Valiant Warrior has boosted trainer Adam Trinder’s hopes that the Tasmanian sprinter can make his presence felt at Moonee Valley for the second time this season.
Valiant Warrior travelled across Bass Strait by ferry overnight on Tuesday ahead of his assignment in Saturday’s William Hill Handicap.
Trinder was delighted when the sprinter came up with barrier one in the field of 13.
“He’s a horse that, when he draws the outside section of the field he needs luck, and his racing pattern probably doesn’t equate to a lot of luck,” Trinder said.
“An inside draw is a perfect draw for him.
“He’s fit and well so I expect him to be competitive.”
Valiant Warrior raced twice at Moonee Valley in August during a three-run winter preparation in Melbourne, highlighted by a win on the opening day of the season in a 1200m benchmark 90 race.
He drew the inside barrier that day but was unplaced over the same course and distance from a wide gate a start later.
He hasn’t won in three starts since a let-up but Trinder was proud of the horse’s fourth in the Listed Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap last week when Valiant Warrior worked hard from a wide barrier.
“He ran 1:09.5 himself for the 1200 metres and was beaten three-quarters of a length, so he went super in open handicap grade,” Trinder said.
“I was really proud of his run. Unfortunately, we were three-quarters of a length out in our assessment but the way things transpired from an outside barrier and so forth, I thought he ran as well as he could have.”
Trinder said there weren’t a lot of suitable sprinting options for Valiant Warrior in Tasmania in the near future, which prompted him to head to the Moonee Valley race.
“The fact he came through the Newmarket well and there was a race available for him at Moonee Valley, which is a track he’s shown a liking for, I thought it was a natural progression,” Trinder said.
The resuming General Groove and Nicoscene are equal topweights for Saturday’s race which also features the return of stakes winner Boomwaa for new trainer Henry Dwyer.
