The extreme outside barrier has forced trainer Mike Moroney to scratch Loyalty Man from the Group 2 $250,000 Inglis Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Loyalty Man, above. has been scratcehd from the Villiers Stakes at Randwick and will run in the Chanteclair Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Loyalty Man drew barrier eighteen from eighteen in the Randwick feature Summer mile race and will now start in the $90,000 Chanteclair Handicap (1600m) on his home track at Flemington on Saturday.
The prospect of rain in Sydney in the lead up to the weekend also helped Moroney’s decision to delay a trip north to Sydney prior to heading to the Gold Coast for the $1m Magic Millions Cup (1400m) on January 14.
“It was a combination of both, and also we’ve got another race we can run him in in Sydney in a couple of weeks,” Moroney told AAP.
“This race in Melbourne looks a pretty winnable race.”
Moroney is keen to give Loyalty Man a run in the clockwise direction before his Magic Millions assignment and said that there would be another suitable race in Sydney in a couple pf weeks.
“We’ve still got another option of going up there a fortnight later and still getting a right-handed run in before the Magic Millions,” Moroney said.
Loyalty Man has done all of his racing in the anti-clockwise direction in Victoria with five wins from fourteen starts which includes a last start win in the $90,000 Wodonga Cup (1590m) at Wodonga on November 25.
The Fastnet Rock four year old was also scratched from the $100,000 BenchMark 85 Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
The Darren Weir trained Kenjorwood is also a dual acceptor and has also drawn wide at barrier sixteen in the Villiers Stakes while in the Chanteclair Handicap the Snippetson seven year old has come up with gate eight in the eleven horse field.
Loyalty Man was listed around the $9 mark for the Villiers Stakes at the time of his withdrawal but that didn’t affect the top of the market order greatly with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Fabrizio remaining the top pick at $3.10 with Ladbrokes.com.au.
On the second line of betting at $8.50 is the Ciaron Maher trained Hazzabeel just ahead of the market mover High Midnight who has firmed in from $12 to $9.50.
Barrier eleven won’t bother Fabrizaio who has plenty of gate speed and Tim Clark will be able to let the gelding find his way to the lead comfortable while apprentice Michael Dee will be able to give Hazzabeel a nice run just off the pace from barrier six.
Apprentice James Innes Jnr will also be able to give the well supported High Midnight a nice run just behind the leaders from barrier seven.
Loyalty Man is considered one of the main chances in the Chanteclair Handicap and is on the fourth line of betting at $7 behind Mihany at $3.50, Burning Front at $4.80 and Kenjorwood at $6.
