South Australian trainer Grant Young has been lured across the border by the prospect of a stakes win for in-form stayer Tunes.
Young learned some lessons from his first foray to Flemington a year ago which he has put into practice for Tunes who contests the Listed Bagot Handicap on Friday.
The trainer saddled his first runner at Flemington in the same race on the first day of 2015, but Halayr Jet finished at the tail of the field.
Halayr Jet failed to handle the hot conditions and Young said he didn’t get the travelling from his Murray Bridge base to Flemington right.
This time around, Tunes is already in Melbourne having been floated over on Tuesday night to Russell Cameron’s Flemington stables.
“He had a walk Sunday and Monday, had a jog on Tuesday and floated over Tuesday night,” Young said.
“He’s a very good eater and all reports are he’s settled in well.”
Tunes is chasing a hat-trick after two wins at Morphettville over 2400m on December 12 and 2500m last Saturday.
On Friday Tunes rises to 2800m, a trip Young doesn’t see as any concern for the seven-year-old.
A former leading jumps jockey in South Australia, Young has been training for four years and said Tunes had done some schooling over logs which he said may account for him turning his form around.
Young also entered Celtic Prince for the Bagot but decided to keep the gelding on home soil for a start at Morphettville on Saturday.
He said Celtic Prince, fourth behind Tall Ship in the Werribee Cup two starts back, had lost a bit of weight on that trip and he was reluctant to give the gelding another trip away in the heat.
Tunes still has to prove to Young he’s up to Adelaide Cup class but the Bagot on Friday will go a long way to determining that.
“Celtic Prince is heading to the Adelaide Cup and if everything goes to plan Tunes will join him,” Young said.
“He’s got to take this step and at the moment he’s doing everything we’ve asked of him.”
