Tomorrow's open 1600m handicap at Wingatui is a battle of the heavyweights.
The race is headlined by topweights Boots ’N’ All and Gallant Boy, who both must carry 60kg to win.
Given their recent form, that impost should not be enough to stop the pair from giving the race’s six other runners, who all have an advantage of at least 5.5kg over them, plenty to chase.
Gallant Boy was simply phenomenal in running second in last month’s group 3 White Robe Lodge Weight-For-Age at Wingatui.
The horse was forced to race at least three wide for the entire event and provided cover for his stablemate Tommy Tucker to slingshot off his back to win the race.
Boots ’N’ All used the same slingshotting technique to come out of the one-one to win his last start at Riccarton and, before that, to come out of the trail to win the listed Timaru Stakes on the same track.
Both results came in rider Jacob Lowry’s first two rides on the Lance Robinson-trained galloper and showed the jockey had struck up an instant rapport.
‘‘Jake gets on with him really well and he rides him well and really likes the horse, so that is a big help,’’ Robinson said.
Boots ’N’ All’s brilliant recent form has not come as a surprise to his trainer, who has always had the faith his galloper would show his true worth with time.
‘‘He is a horse that has always had a lot of ability; we have never ever doubted that, and with age and time and racing he has just got better as he has progressed along, as I always thought he would do.
‘‘He is racing more professionally now and doing things right, whereas early on he was doing a lot of things wrong in a race.’’
Though
Boots ’N’ All has previously won with 59kg, winning with 60kg in open company is something that could be his undoing.
‘‘It is always a worry. He is always a little wee horse — he is only a wee pony,’’ Robinson said.
‘‘He has only won two open races and he has got to the top of the handicaps already. It makes it tough.’’
What is in the horse’s favour is that he could be in even better condition on Saturday than when he won his last start in early February.
‘‘He has done really well. I am really happy with him.’’
Early fixed odds markets for tomorrow’s race had Boots ’N’ All as a $3.40 favourite, ahead of Gallant Boy at $4.40 and his stablemate Fascinate at $4.60.
Tomorrow’s listed feature for 3yr-old fillies could be decided by how the favourites, Excelleration and Global Thinking, handle stepping back in distance from their recent Guineas successes.
Excelleration was a brilliant winner of the 1500m listed Dunedin Guineas early last month, defeating Global Thinking.
The runner-up went on to win the 1600m listed Invercargill Guineas later in February, also in dominant fashion.
Tomorrow’s open 1200m race looks much more than a twohorse affair. Don Carlo, Starvoia, Coulee and Signify head an even line-up.
- Jonny Turner’s Turn It Up column will return next week.
