\n\t\t\t\t\tBy Paul Symes\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Listen<\/p>\n
Matt Laurie is confident that a wide draw will be no barrier to success for Vinrock (I Am Invincible) in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) as the crack colt headlines the stable\u2019s three-pronged attack on the stallion-making contest this Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laurie quipped that it might be the first and last time his wife Kate is handed the dubious honour of drawing the marble after she plucked barrier 14 for Vinrock, who will need to jump much cleaner than he did when he was downed as the odds-on favourite in last month\u2019s Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) also tasted defeat for the first time in over a year on AFL Grand Final Eve, Laurie may be keen to erase the occasion from his memory but the Mornington horseman is nothing if not resilient, and is steadfast in his belief that both horses can gain redemption in their respective Group 1 races at Caulfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a maximum of eight rivals facing her, and potentially as few as five, Treasurethe Moment may encounter a tactical affair when she is reunited with Damian Lane in the Might And Power (Gr 1, 2000m) but the dilemma is quite the opposite for Vinrock and his stablemates Vega For Luck (Lucky Vega) and Prestige Ole (Ole Kirk) in the Caulfield Guineas, which has drawn a full field of 16 (plus two emergencies).<\/p>\n
Sydneysiders have claimed bragging rights in recent years, with colts trained and campaigned primarily in the Harbour City taking out four of the last five editions of the Guineas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the bookmakers are to be believed, that trend seems set to continue with Chris Waller\u2019s duo Wodeton (Wootton Basset) and Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun), who both had their first look at Caulfield on Tuesday morning, heading the early betting markets. However, provided Vinrock can cross from the wide alley without expending too much energy, the $7 third elect looks best placed of the \u2018home\u2019 contingent to repel the interstate raid and provide his famous father with a first win in the time-honoured contest.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mark Zahra partnered Super Seth (Dundeel) to one of the more audacious Guineas wins in recent years when the pair somehow hunted down Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) in 2019, but Laurie is hopeful Vinrock\u2019s pilot takes up a more prominent position in the run on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll probably know our fate with Vinrock fairly early,\u201d said Laurie, who revealed that the Carbine Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) would be high on the agenda should the colt come through the Guineas in good order.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully it was just a one-off last time when he was slowly away at The Valley. If he can show his customary gate speed, we\u2019ll definitely look to press on and either take up the lead or sit pretty close to it, because he\u2019s much more effective when he\u2019s ridden positively. Obviously it depends on what the other runners do, I\u2019m sure it will be a high-pressure race with plenty of jostling for position as usual, so Mark will have his work cut out but he gets it right more often than not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe horses coming down from Sydney will probably be the hardest to beat as usual, but Vinrock comfortably beat both Wodeton and Rivellino in the Sires\u2019, so we know he\u2019s well and truly up to it. He\u2019s had a couple of good searching gallops since his last run, so he should be fit and ready to go on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks in great order so bar the draw, everything has gone to plan. I think Kate felt a bit guilty when she drew barrier 14 but it\u2019s a pretty thankless task, so we\u2019ll let her off this once.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her defence, Laurie\u2019s better half fared far better with the stable\u2019s other runners, with Vega For Luck set to jump from barrier seven under Jamie Mott, while Prestige Ole and his jockey Harry Coffey will begin from gate four.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laurie readily concedes that Vinrock is clearly his top seed as the $300,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling purchase goes in search of a third victory in elite company. But Vega For Luck, who began his career in New Zealand before being acquired by Yulong and transferred to Laurie\u2019s stables, could live up to his name and find fortune when he steps up to the mile for the first time in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The colt defied all bar Estremo (Extreme Choice) with a bold front-running display in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Gr 3, 1400m) last time, and while the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) may have provided a more accurate pointer in recent years, Private Life (Written Tycoon) used the Prelude as a springboard to success in the Guineas 12 months ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given that he comfortably beat home Planet Red (Admire Mars) in the Prelude, it is perhaps a surprise that Vega For Luck is quoted at twice his rival\u2019s price but Laurie believes the market may have underestimated the colt, who bids to become his sire\u2019s second stakes winner in Australia after Within The Law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been going really well since his last run and his work this morning was spot on,\u201d said Laurie.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably lacks a bit of class and quality compared to Vinrock, but he more than makes up for it with his heart. He\u2019s such an honest and genuine horse who tries his hardest every time he goes to the races.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe really digs deep when the pressure\u2019s on, and there\u2019s no more pressure than in a Group 1 race like the Caulfield Guineas. So even though Vinrock is our number one seed, I\u2019m pretty confident Vega [For Luck] will rise to the occasion on Saturday.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the team from Yulong will be keeping their fingers crossed for both Vinrock and Vega For Luck, it is perhaps another runner on Saturday who carries the heavier weight of expectation as Treasurethe Moment seeks an 11th win \u2013 and fifth at the elite level \u2013 in an intriguing renewal of the Might And Power.<\/p>\n
On paper, the $1 million contest appears to be a match race between Laurie\u2019s mare and Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock), whose last-start second to Sir Delius (Frankel) in the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) makes him a worthy contender.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Treasurethe Moment readily accounted for Buckaroo in the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), but she was subsequently unable to extend her picket fence when a rejuvenated Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) ran riot in the Feehan Stakes (Gr. 2, 1600m). However, given she had missed a whole week of work with a (mercifully mild) bout of colic, the dual Oaks winner could certainly be forgiven the minor blot on an otherwise exemplary copybook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Damian Lane returning from suspension to renew acquaintances with the mare, who is yet to taste defeat under his stewardship, Laurie feels she is primed to preserve her flawless record at Caulfield when she makes her fourth competitive outing at \u2018The Heath\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe seems like a really happy horse at the minute,\u201d he told ANZ News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer work over the weekend and again this morning was excellent, so we think we\u2019ve got her back on track. I was probably a little disappointed straight after the Feehan, but on reflection meeting Pride Of Jenni after the setback we had was probably a pretty tough task. She was a month between runs and she had missed some work, so in the circumstances she still went pretty well and she was always going to improve with the run under her belt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would prefer it if there were more runners on Saturday, because I find it\u2019s a harder watch with the small fields and you can sometimes come unstuck. But Damian gets on so well with her and we do think she\u2019s getting back to the mark, so hopefully they can knock off another Group 1 together.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she runs well on Saturday, then it\u2019s all systems go for the Cox Plate. A few other horses have really put their hands up in recent weeks so it\u2019s going to be a fascinating race, but I\u2019m fairly confident that she\u2019ll remind people she\u2019s still a live contender come Saturday.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Paul Symes Listen Matt Laurie is confident that a wide draw will be no barrier to success…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184416,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3004,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-184415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-racing","tag-racing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}