It’s the middle of summer but Sunshine Coast trainer Len Treloar is already thinking of winter.
Not for relief from the scorching temperatures but to plan a carnival campaign for his talented three-year-old Indubious beyond Saturday’s Channel Seven Handicap (1200m) at Eagle Farm.
“This race will give us an indication of what we might do with him for the future as far as targeting the Brisbane winter carnival is concerned,” Treloar said.
“He won against the older horses last time but I want to run him against his own age group on Saturday to give us an indication of just where we’re at with him.”
Treloar said Indubious, who began his career with Mark Kavanagh in South Australia, initially took some time to adjust to the clockwise racing direction in Queensland but he is happy with the gelding’s progress.
“At his first couple of starts for me he was a little bit disorientated but he’s well and truly settled into going this direction and he showed last start he’s starting to put it all together,” he said.
“I think there’s more upside to him for the future.”
Indubious produced an impressive turn of foot when he defeated older sprinters over 1110 metres at Doomben on December 29 in a one metropolitan win race.
“What’s impressed me with this horse from the time I started training him is his ability to sprint quickly off a fast tempo,” he said.
“Only good horses can do that and that’s what excites me about him.”
While Treloar is happy to keep racing Indubious in short course sprints he hasn’t ruled out stepping the gelding up in journey next preparation.
“With a little bit more race experience and with a bit more maturity I envisage he will get further later on,” he said.
“I wouldn’t rule out trying him over more ground but, right at the moment, I just want to keep him to the shorter races because I don’t want to overtax him too much this preparation.”
Treloar prepares a team of 20 horses at the Sunshine Coast where he has been based for the past two years.
The former Victorian moved to Queensland after a successful eight-year stint in Singapore.
