Scone-based trainer Jeremy Gask will be hoping his back-to-back winner Tim’s Principal can gain a start at Rosehill on Saturday.
The seven-year-old is nominated for the colts, geldings and entires benchmark 78 (1300m) as well as the benchmark 78 (1500m) but currently finds himself without a start in the order of entry.
The son of Denman went nearly three years without a win before winning the Country Cup during the Scone carnival last month.
Although he went so long between victories, Tim’s Principal was very consistent, finishing in the placings 10 times during that period.
Despite his consistency, Jeremy Gask said it wasn’t always smooth sailing with his evergreen galloper.
“When he came over to New South Wales he had a couple of little set backs with injury, that we spent a fair while just getting him to relax in his races,” he said.
“He had a big gap between this prep and the previous one.
“We had the fires and the drought was on and he really struggled with some lung infections, he just couldn’t shake it during those conditions.
“Some people have questioned his genuineness during that period, but I was convinced it was more just the circumstances that played against him.
“He seems like he’s been around for a fair while, but he hasn’t got that many miles on the clock.”
Tim’s Principal won over 1400m at Scone two starts ago, before dropping back in distance slightly for his win at Wyong two weeks ago.
He’s nominated for two races over varying distances on Saturday and Gask is confident his gelding can get the job done no matter what race he starts in.
“He’s a pretty versatile horse. What it comes down to for him is the speed in the race,” he said.
“I think he would run a comfortable mile if there’s enough pace for him to relax and settle.
I’d love to have a stable full of horses like him. He’s a perfect horse to train. He thrives at home, he’s a character.
“Some of those seconds, he’s run behind some good horses and with big weights, and arguably unlucky in at least two or three.
“My preference probably would have been the 1500m, but anywhere between 1300m to a mile I think he’d be pretty effective on.
