Rosehill trainer Lee Curtis is expecting the 1600m of the Listed $150,000 Aristocrat Technologies Hawkesbury Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury on Thursday to be far too short for Lasqueti Spirt to figure in the finish.
Lasqueti Spirit, above, is resuming in the Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Lasqueti Spirit hasn’t visited the winner’s stall since producing an electrifying front running display to take out the Group 1 $1m Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington during the 2016 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
The Beneteau mare will be having her first run back for the Spring since finishing twelfth to Polarisation in the Group 1 $2m Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 22 and Curtis is not expecting a forward showing following two unplaced recent barrier trials, but is hoping she will improve as the distances get longer deeper into her preparation.
“Her first trial was terrible and her second was a bit better,” Curtis told AAP.
“But I’m so happy with her and how she is in herself. She is a happy horse so hopefully she brings it to the races.
“I wouldn’t expect to see too much from her until she gets up over ground and the aim is to run her in the Chelmsford Stakes and the Kingston Town on the way to the Metropolitan and St Leger.
“Those last two races will give us a better guide how she’s going and whether she goes back to Melbourne.”
The Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) will be run at Randwick on September 30 two weeks before the reinstated $500,000 ATC St Leger (2600m) also at Randwick.
Lasqueti Spirit had mixed form from six runs during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival with her best efforts being a second to Winx to Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on February 25 and a third to Bonneval in the Group 1 $1m James Boag’s Premium Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on April 8.
Jockey Brenton Avdulla was aboard Lasqueti Spirit for her Crown Oaks victory and gets back in the saddle in the Rowley Mile where she will jump from barrier two in the ten horse field.
Lasqueti Spirit’s racing pattern is to high ball it out in front over the longer journeys but she might have to play second fiddle in the Rowley Mile to the front running Arbeitsam who is the winner of three of his last four starts.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Arbeitsam is chasing a hat trick of wins after Tim Clark rode the four year old to an all the way win in the $100,000 Sydney Spring Carnival On Sale Plate (1400m) at Rosehill on July 29 and then Tommy Berry adopted the same tactics to lead from barrier to post to secure a win in the $100,000 Premier’s Cup Prelude (1800m) at Rosehill on August 12.
Early betting for the Rowley Mile at Ladbrokes.com.au has seen Lasqueti Spirit firm in from $51 to $31 on Wednesday while Arbeitsam is the short priced $1.50 favourite.
