A veteran of the weight-for-age arena, Think It Over doesn’t have the speed in his legs that he once did, but time has done little to dull his desire for racing.
Trainer Kerry Parker was delighted to see his stable star show his customary competitive spirit when finishing a fighting third behind Fangirl and Militarize first-up in the Apollo Stakes (1400m).
While his record reads that he is a four-time winner fresh, as an older horse he naturally takes a little more racing to hit his straps, and he continues to show Parker all the signs he is destined for another outstanding campaign.
“He went terrific first-up. I didn’t have him as wound up as he has been previously,” Parker said.
“Being an eight-year-old, he was always going to take good benefit out of that first-up run and all the signs are that he has. He looks to have bounced off that first-up run.”
Think It Over will take the next step in his campaign at Randwick on Saturday when he faces a rematch with Fangirl in the Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m).
The race is over the same course and distance that was the scene of his most recent feature race success in the 7 Stakes last spring, and while he is a $9 chance to Fangirl’s $1.50 quote, Parker isn’t conceding defeat.
“You’re not going there to make up the numbers, you’re going there trying to win no matter who’s in it,” Parker said.
“He loves his racing, he’s trying really hard and the improvement in him from his first-up run gets me looking forward to second-up.
“He’s an eight-year-old but he is still bouncing around and still mixing it with the elite, so I’m thrilled with him.”
Parker is keeping an open mind on a program for the remainder of the autumn, but the end goal will be the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), a race Think It Over won in 2022 before he was forced off the scene for 16 months with a tendon injury.
“He will probably go to the Ranvet next and then the QEII,” Parker said.
The Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) is at Rosehill on March 23 with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick three weeks later.
