A border-hopping gelding who has only one victory since the autumn of 2023 is primed to produce his best at Monday’s Grafton meeting.
On what is a very open and testing program on a track likely to improve from heavy range into soft, six-year-old Amalgamation can land just his third career win from 31 starts in a wide open Benchmark 58 Hcp over 2220m.
Racing heads to Grafton on Monday with an seven-race card.Credit: Getty
An underrated son of prolific NZ sire Dundeel in the Gold Coast stable of Marcus Wilson, Amalgamation last tasted victory in a BM 62 at home back in mid-February.
Since then he’s been sparingly raced, although often going around in much tougher company than what he meets at Grafton on Monday.
Amalgamation was well beaten in two tougher assignments up to BM 85 level through autumn before spelling.
But after three quiet trials through winter, he’s shown steady progress in three runs back, culminating in a fast-finishing effort just behind the place-getters in a BM 66 Hcp over 2120m at Lismore 10 days ago.
And the stable has shown its hand, staying on the NSW North Coast in an encouraging 10-day back-up, and dropping down a level.
Jockey Damien Thornton retains the ride from a softer barrier for the gelding’s long list of owners.
His only prior success came with a Class 2 win at Ipswich in early May 2023.