Iron horses Tatoosh and Wouldnt It Be Nice have had 19 starts between them since April yet both head to Rosehill off arguably the best runs of their respective campaigns.
Tatoosh will take his place in Saturday’s Group Three Gloaming Stakes eight days after he beat all but the fast-finishing Devil Hawk in the Spring Stakes at Newcastle.
Shannon Stakes contender Wouldnt It Be Nice was third in the Group Three Cameron Handicap on the same program, more than two months after he won the June Stakes on a wet track.
Trainer Paul Perry said the pair had come through their Newcastle runs well and were tough horses who thrived on racing.
“I think they’re just probably the right sort of horses,” Perry said.
“Tatoosh has gone along really nicely. I don’t do a lot with him between races, he’s not a big horse but he’s really nice-winded.”
In a preparation which began with a Wyong maiden win in June, Spring Champion Stakes nominee Tatoosh hasn’t finished further back than fifth in eight campaign runs, highlighted by placings in the Ming Dynasty Quality and Spring Stakes.
Perry said he didn’t mark the gelding as a miler but the horse had raced himself up to a middle-distance test on Saturday.
“He’s just progressed that way and he keeps improving,” Perry said.
Wouldnt It Be Nice enjoyed Sydney’s wet tracks during the winter and just as his form appeared to be tapering off he produced a fast-finishing third on a good track in the Cameron.
He will be having his 12th run this preparation in the Shannon and Perry can’t fault him.
“He got to the line really well in the Cameron and any rain will help him,” he said.
Lightly raced filly Gone To Paris also runs for Perry in the Reginald Allen Quality after a last-start third behind two of Saturday’s fancies Denpurr and Ocean Tempest.
