Norm Gardner is hopeful second starter Super Riff will firm up his Black Opal hand when the unbeaten gelding lines up in the two-year-old handicap at Thoroughbred Park on Friday.
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The Canberra trainer already has star filly Miss Ostend primed for the race, and a strong performance from Super Riff on Friday will likely ensure he takes a double-pronged attack into next month's $250,000 feature.
Miss Ostend returns from a short spell to contest Saturday's Listed $140,000 Lonhro Plate (1000m), after running fourth at the Wyong Magic Millions in December.
Both juveniles have worked alongside each other and Gardner said there wasn't much between his two youngsters.
"She's probably slightly better but they usually go head to head in their work," Gardner said.
"I tend not to push mine right out, I tend to keep them together. He's up there with her."
Gardner bred Super Riff and put him up for sale at the Inglis Classic Sale, but he was passed in for $35,000. $5000 short of his reserve.
"I nearly let him go but I thought 'No, I'll stick to my guns' and brought him home," Gardner said.
"He's going well, I'm very happy with him - he always showed good ability.
"I took him up to Randwick his first trial, he went really well but he was very colty so I gelded him. I was going to run him in the race three weeks after the trial but he got a little bit of an infection from his gelding so we had to put him in the paddock.
"It's a fair while since he raced now but he's had a good trial [at Canberra on January 13]."
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
Meanwhile, Gardner has been left frustrated by a lack of suitable races for classy three-year-old Delacour, who was slugged with a 64kg impost in Friday's Benchmark 65 Handicap (1000m).
Apprentice Jess Del Frari will claim 3kg, meaning the filly must still cart 61kg from her wide barrier.
"I can't find a race for her, there's no three-year-old fillies races in Sydney that aren't maidens around her distance," Gardner said.
"She's a 68 so at the provincials she'll get 63 kilos there anyway so what do you do?
"She's a big strong filly. I was going to trial her and I thought well she'll probably carry that in the trial anyway so we'll see how we go.
"I would've liked to drawn better and ridden her a bit quiet but we'll see how she goes, she'll probably fly the gates. She's going well and she's a chance in that.
"If she'd drawn one I'd let her just fall out of the gates but drawn out wide there you run the risk of being caught wide. She's not the sort of filly you drag back, she's a pretty hard going sort of filly."
Delacour racked up four straight wins earlier this preparation, before heading up the highway to finish eighth of eight in Benchmark 72 grade at Randwick.
Gardner had considered aiming the filly towards the Country Championships over the Sydney autumn carnival but said he would likely wait another 12 months.
"I don't know how she'd go over 1400, that might be next year for her, she's only young," Gardner said.
"I've found the three-year-olds tend to struggle in the Country Championships for some reason. That'll be on the drawing board for her next year."
SCORSE'S SAUCE
Former leading jockey John Scorse provides all the tips you need for Canberra's race meet on Friday:
Best bet: Race 8 no 4 Port Douglas. Ridden back from wide gate and ran on well to place in a strong maiden race here over 1300, extra distance suits and perfect draw makes him the clear top pick.
RACE 1
No 3: Kathaire - Racing well this prep and unsuited last two runs, drawn well and better placed in this, she looks hard to beat here
No 1 Cyborg: Was back in a leader dominated race when resuming at Queanbeyan on a firm track, has the class to beat these
No 2 Call Me Artie - Resuming here off a short break, went out in top form and will run well here
No 8 Tycoon Tily - Very consistent and well-drawn on the back up
RACE 2
No 8 Misty Brook - In top form this prep and drawn to get the run of the race, placed at Kembla in her first try at 2000 and is perfectly placed
No 6 Speedzone - Improving with each run and put in a big performance to score his maiden at Kembla 3 weeks ago, looks like he will run all day
No 5 Seporto - Should be at his top now after 4 runs this prep, include in exotics
RACE 3
No 1 Super Riff - Very impressive win on debut and kept up to the mark with a super trial placing, should get a nice run
No 5 Retrieval - Should be well educated after four nice trials, on debut here and could be here in March
No 2 Sniper Legend - Good effort on debut from a wide gate he finished off strongly in 2/3 year old maiden, will need some luck but can't overlook him
No 11 New York Gal - Trialled well in strong heat and well drawn
RACE 4
No 3 Bombardeo - First two runs were very good and probably had enough when 4th at Kembla before a break, resumes here, big market watch
No 4 Phearson - Given a very easy time when placed in only trial back in August, well drawn, consider him here
No 1 Jack the Brumby - Ran some very good races in his first prep and looked good in recent trial placing, will be on the speed throughout
RACE 5
No 5 Manilla Thriller - Very consistent mare who scored a well deserved win before spell, looked good in recent trial and drawn to get the right run
No 1 Josephus - Honest type who brings solid provincial form here 1st up, races on speed and claim gets him in very well
No 3 Star Dynasty - Lightly raced and shows good ability, strong win 1st up and suited by extra distance
RACE 6
No 3 Key Largo - All three runs this prep have been good, solid effort to win at Gosford and back in distance should be no problem for him
No 4 More Euros - Top run when resuming and just missed in fast time, very speedy mare who is ideally drawn, two time winner 2nd up
No 1 Delacour - Smart mare who gets some weight relief, will need some luck from awkward draw
No 6 Onthetake - Races well fresh
RACE 7
No 8 Mandalong Nicko - Racing very well this prep and just missed over this distance last time, gets a big weight advantage in this and will go close
No 6 War Deck - All runs this prep have been good, just missed last time and coming back in distance will suit him
No 3 Champagne Vega - Got the favours and fought on strongly to win 1st up, awkwardly drawn and no form second up, he will need a peach ride
No 5 Fusca - Has claims here, don't rule her out
RACE 8
No 4 Port Douglas - Got back from wide draw and hit the line strongly when placed, perfect draw gets him the run of the race and he looks the one here
No 2 Librarian - Placed in 3/5 runs last prep in mostly provincial maidens, will need some luck from wide gate
No 5 Important Product - Set to peak at 3rd run in, made the pace and held on well last start
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
