Trainer Peter Moody will break new ground with one of his two-year-olds at Flemington.
Zed Or Alive makes his debut in the Byerley Handicap (1800m) of Saturday where he will be joined by stablemate Line ‘Em Up Loui who has a win and two seconds to his name from three starts.
A son of Zed, the sire of Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant, Zed Or Alive had been entered for a 1400m race at Pakenham last Sunday, but Moody thought that trip may be too short.
After a gallop with Line ‘Em Up Loui on Tuesday, Moody decided to bite the bullet and head to Flemington for the gelding’s debut run on Saturday.
“I thought, ‘well this is what your distance is, and it might be the shortest distance that you might run in’,” Moody said.
“I probably haven’t had one run at this trip as a two-year-old, but when you look at him, he looks like a three-year-old, as does Line ‘Em Up Loui
“They’re both big, strong horses.”
Moody said it will be an interesting exercise to see Zed Or Alive on debut at the trip.
“You quite often find, particularly with two-year-olds, you don’t have to have them as fit for a 1400, 1600 or 1800-metre races as you do with a 1200-metre race,” Moody said.
“They jump, they hack along and sprint home whereas if you put them in a 1200, they’re running close to their top the whole way and that’s when horses gas out, if that makes sense.
“You probably won’t see them run this as a true 1800-metre race. Everyone will be holding up, hoping they can run the trip, whereas a horse like him, he’s drawn the outside, we’ll ride him out the back and see if he can pick them off.
“The other horse, Line ‘Em Up Loui, will be up on the speed, making his own luck.”
Line ‘Em Up Loui is part-owned by Moody and after a debut second at Pakenham went on to win the Elvstroem Classic (1300m) at Swan Hill last month.
At his most recent start, he was nailed late by Dolphin Skin, an opponent on Saturday, in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington on July 1.
“He was good the other day,” Moody said.
“He just keeps going at that one tempo, keeps whacking away and I don’t think the 1800 metres will worry him.”
Success on Saturday provides the winner a ballot exemption into either the Victoria Derby or VRC Oaks during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, although Moody is not getting too far ahead of himself.
“November is a long way off. Let’s just get through Saturday first and see how they go,” Moody said.
