Trainer Rob Heathcote holds out more hope of claiming his first Group One with Woorim at Caulfield on Saturday than he does of winning a maiden with the sprinter’s younger brother at Doomben.
Woorim continues to please Heathcote ahead of the six-year-old’s assignment in the Group One Sir Rupert Clark Stakes (1400m) while sibling Bribie is striving to win his first race in Wednesday’s Asteron Life Maiden Plate (1200m).
Heathcote is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to train a winner at the elite level and will fly his own farrier to Melbourne on Thursday to check over Woorim’s troublesome feet.
“The secret to Woorim’s success is having his feet in order so I’m flying my farrier down on Thursday to shoe him and check him over,” Heathcote said.
“It’s a tough race with a horse like Smart Missile against us but he (Smart Missile) still needs to take the next step.”
Woorim and Bribie are both sons of multiple Group One winner Show A Heart out of the five-time winner Wabble.
Ross Cutts, who raced Show A Heart, also owns both Woorim and Bribie.
Heathcote was hoping Bribie could follow in Woorim’s footsteps but has had to lower the bar significantly with the four-year-old.
Bribie has started only four times in his career for two placings including his latest third to Patinack Farm’s promising Found The One in a 1000-metre maiden at Eagle Farm two weeks ago.
“Bribie is on notice tomorrow,” Heathcote said.
“He was first-up last time but he was very disappointing.
“He never found the line like I expected he would and he put the white flag up too early.”
Heathcote will also saddle up former Victorian Samski who will be having his first start for the stable in the same race.
Samski, a Larry Cassidy mount, was placed in seven of his 14 starts for previous trainer Russell Cameron but hasn’t raced for nearly a year since finishing 10th in a maiden at Kyneton on October 1.
“Samski has been coming along well since he came to me but he’s got the outside barrier, 10, while Bribie has drawn two,” Heathcote said.
“I favour Bribie from the barrier but he’ll need to do a lot better after being towelled by more than six lengths by the Patinack Farm horse last start.”
AAP TURF
