Trainer Henry Dwyer has confirmed that Lucky Liberty will have his next race start in the 2015 CS Hayes Stakes rather than make his debut at Group 1 level in the Orr Stakes at Caulfield on February 28.
Lucky Liberty has recorded three wins from as many starts since he made his racing debut at the end of last year. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
Dwyer revealed on Monday that he was considering giving Lucky Liberty an opportunity at weight-for-age level in the Group 1 Orr Stakes (1400m) before he takes on horse his own age in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 7, but the rising trainer is taking the conservative path and will run the undefeated galloper in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 21.
Lucky Liberty came out of his tough win in the Flemington Rose Garden Handicap (1420m) at Flemington on January 31 in excellent condition and Dwyer told Sky Racing HQ that he had elected to send Lucky Liberty for a week on a water walker ahead of his two future race starts in the CS Hayes Stakes and Australian Guineas.
“I took him for a swim on Sunday and he was just bouncing around and off his head, which isn’t really like him because he is a really quiet horse with a great nature,” Dwyer said.
“He was right up and about on Sunday, so we have taken the option to send him up to the water walker up there at Rockmont at Euroa and he can live in the paddock there for the day and still do a bit of work in the morning.
“We will still have two weeks to tune him up for the CS Hayes.
“It was fleeting thought (running Lucky Liberty in the Orr Stakes) and we were thinking about three-year-olds in the last ten years that have gone there in small fields and been competitive and knowing that we just needed one more run between now and the Guineas over 1400.
“I just think that it is more suitable giving him a freshen-up this week and two weeks either the Guineas rather than three weeks into the Guineas.”
Lucky Liberty made his racing debut with a three lengths victory in a maiden at Mornington on December 28 and he proved that victory was no fluke when he won the John Morrison Handicap (1200m) at Sale on January 15 by the same margin.
The Statue Of Liberty gelding made his metropolitan racing debut in the Flemington Rose Garden Handicap on Saturday and he was kept wide throughout the race before hitting the front at the 250 metre mark, but he was still able to hold on and record a tough win.
