Trainer Tim Fitzsimmons of Bendigo has had his sights set on a particular Stakes race, one of the final opportunities for the season in Australia, for many months.
The Listed Lightning Stakes (1050m) at Morphettville stands as one of three races nationwide offering ‘Black Type’ status. It is accompanied by the Listed H G Bolton Sprint (1200m) at Belmont and the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
Fitzsimmons is heading to Morphettville with Yuuki, a filly who has secured two victories from nine career starts, to contest the set-weights event restricted to two and three-year-olds.
Yuuki achieved her initial win at Swan Hill three runs prior, followed by another success at Seymour. Her most recent appearance on June 7 saw her finish sixth at Swan Hill behind the highly rated Cruiserweight.
To ensure she was primed for Saturday’s engagement, Yuuki participated in a 700m jump-out at Bendigo on July 14, emerging successful.
“She’s going really well,” Fitzsimmons commented.
“She didn’t have much luck at her last start when she was four-wide with no cover at Swan Hill, but that has proven to be a pretty strong form race with Cruiserweight coming out and winning and her form was pretty hard to fault before that.
“She’s always run into a good one. Point Barrow, then Celtics and Cruiserweight and even the horse she beat in her maiden, Scoobartie, has come out and won two convincingly.
“She’s drawn wide, which is a pain, but we’re hoping for a bit more rain as she loves it with a bit of sting out.
“We’re chasing some ‘Black Type’ as the owner wants to breed with her eventually and this has been a long-range plan. We planned this race six months ago.
“Hopefully we can get a nice run from that gate, and it seems at Morphettville they do get away from the fence, so hopefully it’s not the worst place to be.”
Kyle Wilson-Taylor, based in Queensland, has been engaged to ride Yuuki, as well as Fitzsimmons’s other stable runners, Olatunde and Blazing Sword.
Fitzsimmons indicated his preference for utilising his own regular rider for his three horses, with a particular focus on Yuuki in the day’s feature race.
“We asked Michael Rodd who came to Albury for us earlier on, but he couldn’t make it,” Fitzsimmons stated.
“We used Kyle when I was in Singapore and he came up and rode Golden Monkey, so there’s that connection.
“I like the way he rides, he’s a patient rider, and he jumped at the opportunity, so it was good to lock someone in early and not have to worry about it.”
Looking for the best racing odds for the Lightning Stakes? Check out Australian betting sites.
