BRISBANE Jan 23 AAP – Eagle Farm trainer Desleigh Forster couldn’t help but smile when star Sydney sprinter Howmuchdoyouloveme accepted for the $100,000 Canterbury Classic (1100m) on Friday night.
Forster has Brisbane speed machine Adebisi in the Classic where he will now carry 56kgs.
If Howmuchdoyouloveme, who was weighted at 61kgs in the Classic, had not accepted Adebisi’s weight could have been increased.
“Howmuchdoyouloveme is a very good horse but at least with him in the field Adebisi will carry only 56kgs and that will suit him,”Forster said.
The last time the pair met was in the Grafton Ramornie (1200m) in July with Adebisi finishing ninth and Howmuchdoyouloveme fifth to Youthful Jack.
At the time Howmuchdoyouloveme was trained at Eagle Farm by Tina Cotsiopoulos but he is now with trainer Jim Litt at Warwick Farm.
Forster believes as a guide to the Canterbury Classic the Ramornine form was useless.
“They really served it up to Adebisi in the lead that day and the winner ran 1.8.7 (time of 1:08.73) which is a fair indication of how fast they were going,” she said.
Forster said she believed the Ramornie run had flattened Adebisi and he hadn’t been the same horse during short campaign in September.
“But he’s pleased me after he ran a great 600m exhibition gallop at Eagle Farm last week.
“The barrier (six in a field of seven) doesn’t worry me as he should be able to glide across and get to the lead without being bustled,” she said.
Forster is also confident Adebisi will handle the tricky Canterbury course.
“He skips around the corners at Doomben and it is fairly similar to Canterbury,” she said.
Top Brisbane jockey Michael Cahill will make the trip to Sydney to ride Adebisi.
Forster said if Adebisi raced as expected in the Canterbury Classic he would stay in Sydney for the Expressway Stakes (1200m) on February 8.
