PLANS have been altered for Provincial-Midway Championships Final winner Territory Express.
Instead of going to Melbourne for a spring carnival tilt, the gelding is being set for the $2m Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill Gardens.
The race is restricted to five-year-olds, and will be run at set weights plus penalties.
“Unfortunately, Territory Express had a slight setback and had to be boxed for five days,” managing part-owner Maryanne Cram explained.
“Territory Express had six weeks out after the Brisbane winter carnival and, because of the setback, time beat us to go to Melbourne.
“The horse is fine now and back in work.”
Trainer Paul Niceforo has mapped out a revised plan for his now five-year-old, whose PMC Final success at Royal Randwick in April helped considerably boost his earnings to nearly $900,000.
The five-year-old son of Territories has raced on 16 occasions for four wins and five placings.
He won a PMC Qualifier (1400m) at Kembla Grange on February 29 before being narrowly beaten by Democracy Manifest in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 16.
Victory would have earned connections a “free ticket” into the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick in April, but his defeat of Strait Acer and Shadows Of Love in the Final was still a nice consolation.
“Territory Express will trial at Warwick Farm on September 30, and all going well will kick off in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on October 12, and then go to the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) at Randwick a fortnight later,” Niceforo said.
“The Five Diamonds will be his third run back, and he was third up when he won the Provincial-Midway Final.”
The Alan Brown, run under Quality conditions, carries a purse of $1.5m, and the Five Diamonds Prelude is worth $1m.
Territory Express hasn’t raced since an excellent third from a wide alley to Hawkesbury Gold Cup winner Just Folk in the Group 3 Lord Mayors Cup (1800m) at Eagle Farm on June 1. Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle’s double at his home track meeting on Saturday lifted his number of winners already this season to 11.
Nine of those winners have been on provincial tracks, meaning he is equal third in the provincial premiership behind Hawkesbury’s Brad Widdup (12 wins) and co-trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton (10).
Doyle’s Newcastle winners were Rush Hour and Reigning King – and both were $2.60 favorites.
Ash Morgan, after a 140-winner haul last season, celebrated his return from an overseas break by scoring on Rush Hour in the 3&4YO Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m), and apprentice Braith Nock partnered Reigning King in the Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (900m), holding out leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup’s Akaka Falls ($5) with a 3kg weight advantage.
Story John Curtis, September 22, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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