Well-bred three year old Top Score is ready to put some runs on the board heading into the Sydney Autumn Carnival when he returns to the race track in the $85,000 Schweppes Quality (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Tommy Berry takes the ride on Top Score in the Schweppes Quality at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Top Score has been installed as the $3.40 favourite with Ladbrokes.com.au and a good performance could see trainer John Sargent chase bigger prizes like the Group 2 $400,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 20.
“He’s a lovely horse, I originally had him in on Tuesday, but the noms were light and it is a good race for him,” Sargent told the Sportsman.
“The 1000m is not ideally his race but there should be some speed on and it is like going for a trial for some money.”
“It is a nice big track and it was only an 1100m race on Tuesday anyway.”
Top Score has only been to the races once for win in a three year old maiden over 1100m at Warwick Farm in October last year when he raced a little on the immature side but Sargent is confident he has overcome his greenness.
“He did few things wrong in his first race but he still went to the line,” Sargent said.
“When they show as much as he did in his trials you expect them to go very well first up.”
“Hopefully we can get him into some stakes races later on if he shows he is up to the company.”
“He is starting to relax in his trials and I would love to get him up over a mile but this will get him off the bridle a bit.”
Jockey Tye Angland was on board Top Score when he won on debut but Tommy Berry takes over the reins on the High Chaparral colt this week and is keen to see how he performs in Saturday class.
“He definitely looks like a horse with a bright future,” Berry said.
“He’s one from one and he looked pretty exciting in his trial a week-and-a-half ago.
“So he seems to have come back well and his race manners are a bit better because he was a bit erratic when he won at Warwick Farm.”
Sargent has given Top Score one official barrier trial in the lead up to Saturday’s race and he cruised to a one length win over 730m at Randwick on January 12.
Trainer Gerald Ryan will saddle two runners in the Schweppes Quality, Deploy and Shacked Up, and both three year olds are well up in the market order.
Deploy is on the second line of betting at $3.80 and is chasing his initial win after being placed twice in maiden class at Canterbury last August and September.
The Fastnet Rock colt was a 900m Rosehill barrier trial winner on January 4 and will be carrying several pieces of new gear when he steps out on Saturday with a lugging bit and a tongue tie going on for the first time.
Shacked Up was also a barrier trial winner on the same day and will wear a norton bit for the first time since he ran fourth in a three year old race over 1100m at Rosehill on August 1 last year.
The Not A Single Doubt filly was a Hawkesbury Maiden winner over 1000m at her previous start and is marked at $4.20 for her return to the racetrack.
Schweppes Quality market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.40 Top Score, $3.80 Deploy, $4.20 Shacked Up, $4.60 Sooboog, $5 Le Romain, $41 Stolen Time, $51 Precocious.
