Zoutenant’s first start for Gary Portelli has left the trainer baffled and he will give him the chance to redeem himself at Warwick Farm.
Group Two-placed behind Exosphere in the 2015 Roman Consul Stakes when trained by Kevin Moses, Zoutenant failed to recapture that form during a stint with Gai Waterhouse.
At his first start for his latest trainer at Randwick on January 26, Zoutenant finished 10 lengths last over 1000 metres when ridden by apprentice Deanne Panya.
He is scheduled to line up over the same distance on Wednesday in a benchmark 77 race with senior jockey Tye Angland to ride.
“His run was too bad to be true,” Portelli said.
“He has been working the joint down and why he was so poor first-up is beyond me.
“He is better than that as his early record shows so we’ll hopefully see an improvement.”
As a two-year-old, Zoutenant won the Wyong Magic Millions race in December 2014 in which subsequent Group One winner Single Gaze ran third.
Portelli also has Star Aspiration looking to break her maiden at the Warwick Farm meeting.
While the pair are trying to step up the ladder, stablemate She Will Reign has come through her sparkling barrier trial on Monday in good order as she heads to the Silver Slipper.
The filly earned outright favouritism for next month’s Golden Slipper with a nine-length win in the trial.
Portelli will also give Sebring Express another chance to qualify for the Slipper after a mishap in the Widden Stakes when Panya came off the filly and suffered a collarbone injury and facial laceration.
“Sebring Express came through that as good as gold,” he said.
“Deanne doesn’t really know what happened other than she lost her iron.
“We will put a set of blinkers on Sebring Express and give her a barrier trial and hopefully get her to the Sweet Embrace Stakes.”
