While trainer Toby Edmonds has some serious doubts about whether racing will go ahead at the Gold Coast on Saturday, he is happy with the fact that last year’s winner of Recognition Stakes will be ready to defend his crown, whenever the race takes place.
The Recognition Stakes, a Listed contest over 1400m, headlines the Gold Coast card where the track rating currently sits at a Heavy 10 with a lot more rain predicted up to and including Saturday.
“I doubt if we’ll race at this stage. The weather looks terrible here actually,” said Edmonds on Thursday morning, “but The Harrovian is doing well.”
The Harrovian will go into the Recognition first-up having last raced five months ago in The Stradbroke.
“He had a good spell this time,” continued Edmonds. “Unlike the two weeks he normally has, he had about six weeks. He had a good let down and freshen up.
“He’s been well since. He has trialled good and galloped well in-between races a couple of times. He’s pretty ripe to go now.”
Four of The Harrovian’s impressive career haul of seventeen victories have come first-up and he has wins across the board in terms of racing surfaces, having won on good, soft and heavy going, so he is arguably better placed than some should Saturday’s meeting go ahead.
With The Harrovian’s regular jockey Brad Stewart currently serving a suspension, Noel Callow is set to take the ride in the Recognition Stakes.
“Brad’s back for the George Moore meeting (on December 4), I believe,” said Edmonds. “He couldn’t ride this week.”
And the onward plans for The Harrovian?
“If the Recognition goes ahead, he’ll run in that obviously,” answered Edmonds. Then he goes to the Bernborough (on December 26) … and then he’ll have a freshen up for the All-Star Mile, I believe.
Meanwhile, the Edmonds training partnership is also preparing to welcome another seventeen-time winner, their Group 1 Stradbroke winner Tyzone, back into the stable.
Tyzone galloped in-between races at Cairns on Tuesday after spending recent months in far north Queensland.
“He is on his way back here. I think he gets on the float today and arrives on Monday,” confirmed Edmonds. “He’s not far away.
“He went up there to spell. We’ll get him back. We haven’t got anything in mind for him yet. We’ll have to wait and see.
“We’ll have a look at him and probably trial him up in a couple of weeks. We’ll see how he trials up before we decide which way we go with him.”
