TIM Clark is a new rider for Uzziah at Royal Randwick on Saturday in a race which will determine the gelding’s immediate racing future.
Trainer Scott Aspery has booked Clark, who has no peer rating front-runners, for the six-year-old in the Benchmark 100 Handicap (1400m).
“It looks Uzziah’s race to lose,” Aspery said on Wednesday morning.
Uzziah is coming off a defeat in the Group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 30 when the soft ground didn’t help him at all.
“He tried his hardest as he always does, and initially was slow to recover,” Aspery said.
“But he picked up quickly once we got him home, and the vet checked him over on the Monday morning afterwards and gave him the all clear.”
A fortnight earlier Uzziah had led throughout on his home track in a Benchmark 94 Handicap (1300m) at The Hunter meeting.
Aspery had hoped to run Uzziah in the $2m Group 2 The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday, but he was made an emergency and did not make the final field.
“Saturday’s race will have a major bearing on immediate plans for Uzziah,” he said.
“He will either go to the paddock afterwards or perhaps go to Brisbane for the $300,000 Magic Millions The Buffering (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday week.”
The Buffering winner secures a wild card into the $2m Magic Millions Cup (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 11.
“Firstly Uzziah will need to race well on Saturday before we seriously consider backing him up a week later, and then he would have to do well in the ensuing period.
“I haven’t backed him up in races from week to week before, but twice he has trialled on Tuesday and won and finished third on the Saturday.
“He has had surgery twice on an arthritic left knee, and has to be carefully managed.”
Aspery purchased Uzziah as a yearling at the Magic Millions Adelaide sale in 2020 for $5000, but he wasn’t paid up for to compete in Magic Millions related events.
Thus The Buffering provides him with the opportunity to chase a Magic Millions Cup berth if it is decided to head north.
Uzziah has been a wonderful performer for both the stable and his connections.
From 26 starts he has won seven races and been placed on eight occasions, and earned just over $433,000.
Aspery keeps a small stable at Broadmeadow (currently with four in training), and also is looking to run Uzziah’s stablemate Spandex at the weekend.
He has accepted with the Pariah three-year-old for a Maiden Plate (1100m) at Canterbury on Friday night, and plans to accept for a Midway 3YO Maiden Plate (1100m) at Wyong on Saturday as well.
“I’ll look at both fields, but at this stage I’m leaning toward running him at Canterbury, where apprentice Molly Bourke has been booked,” Aspery said.
Spandex was a $10,000 buy at Book 2 of last year’s Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast, and has raced only once when fourth in a Super 3YO Maiden (900m) at Newcastle on August 15.
He has trialled twice at home (on the Beaumont track on December 4 and on the course proper eight days later) in preparation for his resumption.
Story John Curtis, December 18, 2024
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