Setinum is set to contest the 2015 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield in a fortnight after he recorded a fast-finishing victory in the Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield this afternoon.
Setinum scored the biggest race win of his career to date in the 2015 Regal Roller Stakes. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
Setinum was making his first appearance at the races since he had no luck in the Heather Howes Handicap (1400m) at Flemington on May 9 and he was settled towards the tail of the field, while Sea Lord and Griante took up the running in the early stages of the race.
The early hot tempo set up the race for the swoopers and a number of horses charged home from the tail of the field, but Setinum showed the best turn-of-foot to score a narrow win from a typically game Platinum Rocker and the unlucky Yesterday’s Songs.
Trainer Shane Fliedner was thrilled to see Setinum return to the sort of form that he showed to win the Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m) in the autumn and he revealed that he will now give the Holy Roman Emperor gelding a chance at Group 1 level in the Memsie Stakes on August 29.
“Since the Guineas he has had no luck at all so we put him away and thought that we would have a crack in the spring,” Fliedner said.
“He has come along nicely this time in and I took him to the trials the other day and he had a very soft trial and went unnoticed a little bit.
“He wasn’t far off fast horses and I really liked him today.
“He should have a nice campaign going forward hopefully.
“Without getting carried away I would probably go to the Memsie in a fortnight.
“He has done it today over 1200 and he couldn’t have been more impressive really.”
Jockey Dwayne Dunn picked up the ride on Setinum at the last minute after Chad Schofield elected to take the ride on Pressing in the Regal Roller Stakes and he was impressed with the sprint showed by the four-year-old in the final stages of the race, but he is unsure whether the gelding has the quality to win a race like the Memsie Stakes.
“He did a good job,” Dunn said.
“He has won some really nice races and we discussed that he can go to a better class race than this, but it will probably be over a little bit further.
“To his credit he was powerful.
“It was only a pick-up ride for me late and I haven’t really looked at where he is headed or what he is doing, but he is a nice horse.
“He is going to win a nice race, but whether it is a Group 1 at this point I am not quite sure.”
There were a host of unlucky horses in the Regal Roller Stakes, but it is fair to say that Yesterday’s Songs was the most affected and he would have finished much closer to the winner with clear running.
