IF weight of numbers count, a Kembla Grange trainer will win Saturday’s $500,000 Four Pillars Midway at Rosehill Gardens!
But which one?
The Kembla Grange’s training base’s dominance in the annual 1500m Benchmark 68 Handicap is such that it has 50 per cent of the capacity field; 10 of the 20 runners.
Leading trainers Rob and Luke Prince have three (Victory Lane, Fugitiva and Extreme Freedom), Mitch Beer also has a trio (Apollo Mission, This Is The Moment and Artful Persuasion), and Joe Ible (Patrika Mist), Kerry Parker (Arale), Paul Murray (Winning Point) and Brett Lazzarini (Life Coach) have one each.
This will be the fourth running of the Four Pillars – and Wyong is the sole provincial winner, taking the first two editions; Tracey Bartley with Kiss Sum in the inaugural event in 2021, and Kristen Buchanan with Oakfield Arrow in 2022.
Then Newcastle apprentice Dylan Gibbons was successful last year on the Rosehill trained Sweet Mercy, now prepared at Inverell.
The closest Kembla Grange has come to a Four Pillars victory has been two thirds; Theresa Bateup with Divine Breath in 2021, and Ross McConville with Burning Need last year.
Kembla’s Brett Lazzarini says his sole runner Life Coach is capable of an upset.
“Life Coach gets better with racing, and this will be his third start this preparation,” Lazzarini said.
“I took him to Taree last time for an Open Handicap (1250m) at the Cup meeting, hoping he could win to get his benchmark rating up to make certain of gaining a run in the Four Pillars.
“Life Coach ran second (to Gold Card) and his rating went up a point to 68, sufficient to make the field.
“He has drawn well enough on Saturday in the big field, and will go straight to the fence and hopefully get a nice run behind the speed.
“The last 100m will be the query with him, but he’s ready to run well.”
Reece Jones will ride Life Coach, whilst Lazzarini is up in the air about starting stablemate Steel Blaze, where apprentice Molly Bourke has been booked for the non-claiming $750,000 Group 3 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m).
Lazzarini also nominated Steel Blaze for the Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) at Flemington on Tuesday, but the recent Port Macquarie Cup placegetter, with the 54kg limit, is 26th in order of entry (18 can run with provision for four emergencies).
“The 2800m will suit Steel Blaze much better than the 2000m at Rosehill, so we will have to see if we can get a run at Flemington,” Lazzarini said.
“If he does, we will send him to Melbourne on Sunday, otherwise we will look ahead to The Beaumont (2300m) at The Hunter meeting at Newcastle on November 16.”
Lazzarini has had two placegetters at Flemington, but is yet to win a race at headquarters from only a handful of starters.
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Kris Lees, Nathan Doyle and Tracey Bartley were the provincial winners at Thursday’s Wyong meeting.
Lees took the Benchmark 64 Handicap (2130m) with Oakfield Hawk ($3.50), Doyle the Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1000m) with $1.70 favorite Reigning King, and Bartley won the CG&E Class 1 Handicap (1200m) with Hydrometer ($4).
Jason Collett rode Oakfield Hawk, Lees’ apprentice Ben Osmond partnered Reigning King, and Lee Magorrian had the mount on Hydrometer.
Kembla Grange trainers Paul Murray and Theresa Bateup were successful at the corresponding Sapphire Coast fixture.
Murray clinched a double with Sassen ($19) and Pressilly ($2.90 favorite), and Bateup supplied the quinella in the 1600m Maiden Handicap; Sir Sublime ($3.50) easily defeating stablemate and favorite Ghaznavi ($2.30).
Story John Curtis, October 31, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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