Turnitaround will line up in the VOBIS Gold Mile at Caulfield
One person not surprised by the second placing of Turnitaround in a stakes race at Caulfield is his trainer Matthew Williams.
What did surprise Williams was the $51 about the gelding for his first-up second in the Group Three Victoria Handicap on March 31.
Turnitaround returns to Caulfield on Saturday for the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Mile where he will again lock horns with Widgee Turf who had his measure last time.
“He came through his first-up run terrific,” Williams said.
“We all had something on him because he always runs that sort of race and I was surprised at his price which I thought was way overs.
“He’s now had that first-up run and we thought it worked in well to have the three weeks between the two races.
“It gave him a good chance to get over that first-up run and he should be cherry ripe for the mile.”
The trainer took Turnitaround to Terang on Monday for a gallop which he said was ideal ahead of Saturday.
Williams trains at the beachside country town of Warrnambool but says the gelding is likely to bypass the upcoming May carnival.
“He’ll probably get too much weight to run in the open handicap on the first day, so he’ll possibly go to Flemington on the Saturday after,” Williams said.
“There’s a couple of races for him at Flemington over 1800 metres and 2000 coming up which are $100,000 races that we can claim in and in which he would get in under 60 kilos.”
Williams could hold a strong hand at Saturday’s rich VOBIS race day.
He will run Lady Selkirk in the $150,000 VOBIS Gold Distaff with Socialising a chance to make her debut in the $300,000 VOBIS Sires for two-year-olds.
“I thought Lady Selkirk ran well up the straight at Flemington and the 1400 metres will suit her,” Williams said.
“We were going to run Socialising at Terang on Sunday.
“But when we saw this race and the criteria we thought we’d throw her in and have a look at it.”
