The Cleaner led from start to finish to beat a strong field in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) and trainer Mick Burles is confident that the cult hero is in even better condition ahead of the 2015 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield this weekend.
The Cleaner will take up the running in the early stages of the 2015 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
The Cleaner started his 2015 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a close second behind Mourinho in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 15 and he ran his rivals ragged in the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 5.
Burles was confident that The Cleaner would improve significantly from the P.B. Lawrence Stakes to the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes and he believes that eight-year-old is capable of making the same jump when he takes on the likes of Fawkner and Contributer in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) on Saturday.
“I think he is even a bit better now,” Burles told Racing Ahead.
“He has just had a couple of little grass gallops at Mowbray again, nothing real hard just to tune him up again and give him a bit of a blow-out.
“He is real good.
“There is a couple in there that could improve like Volkstok’n’barrell and I have only met Fawkner once in the Cox Plate last year, but it is a bit different of a situation this time.
“It will be a cleaner race than what the Cox Plate is.
“1800 won’t worry him, the way that he won the Dato’ the other day he was probably looking for it then.”
The Cleaner was originally set to have his next race start in the Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m) next weekend, but Burles changed his plans and he revealed that the son of Savoire Vivre may go into the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24 without another lead-up run after the 2015 Underwood Stakes this weekend.
“The night race that he ran in last year was a little bit close to the Cox Plate, so I decided to go to the Underwood and that gives me plenty of time,” Burles said.
“I can give him a week off after the Underwood and have three weeks to get him ready still.
“If I feel like he needs another run I have got the Caulfield Stakes and there are other races around, but I don’t really want to.”
The Cleaner is currently available at 2015 Underwood Stakes odds of $6.50 with Ladbrokes and he is on the third line of betting behind Fawkner ($3.40) and Contributer ($4.50).
