Winkers had the desired effect on Blitzburg last week, can they also help stablemate Sanctified?
A form reference behind Golden Slipper favourite and Sydney’s benchmark two-year-old Wodeton is giving connections of Sanctified cause for optimism heading into the $2 million Inglis Millennium.
The colt finished third to Wodeton on debut at Rosehill last month and while he was beaten seven lengths, co-trainer Sterling Alexiou felt the youngster did a tidy job under the circumstances.
“He comes out of the premier two-year-old form line at this stage, albeit he was beaten a significant margin,” Alexiou said.
“But he did a lot wrong at his first start. He didn’t race in an easy position outside the leader and he had another one three-deep outside him making him work for a fair way.
“It wasn’t an ideal first run for him but he has come through it well.”
Winkers have been added on Saturday, the same gear change stablemate Blitzburg underwent prior to taking out last weekend’s Canonbury Stakes.
Sanctified has an awkward gate in 13, although the draw has thrown the race open with early fancies Rivellino (16), Within The Law (18) and Open Secret (19) all coming up with wide alleys.
It has left Blue Diamond Preview runner-up Price Tag (barrier 11) as a well-supported $3.40 favourite and Alexiou agrees she looks the horse to beat.
“On times and figures, the filly from Melbourne looks the logical favourite,” he said.
“The application of headgear will help our horse a lot. Obviously the draw is another tricky equation for him, he’s going to have to rely on a bit of luck getting in somewhere and blending into the race at the right time, but he’s a nice enough horse with a nice future.”
Only five of the 16 runners and three emergencies are at single-figure odds for the Inglis Millennium (1100m) with Sanctified a $51 chance with wagering apps.
Castelvecchio (2019) is the longest-priced winner of the race to date at $21 with online betting companies.
