Connections of the three-year-old colt Blind Raise harbour ambitions for him to be a significant contender in upcoming spring feature races, with his campaign commencing at Sandown.
The colt is set to contest the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1300m) this Saturday, a race that could pave the way for a Group 1 engagement, or possibly two, in Melbourne and Sydney.
The Caulfield Guineas (1600m) scheduled for October 10 and the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick a fortnight later are among the targets for the galloper trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
However, his immediate focus must be on successfully navigating Saturday’s race.
Busuttin indicated that the distance of the Sandown race was a key factor in deciding it as a suitable starting point.
This Saturday’s meeting is hosted by the Moonee Valley Racing Club. Had the race been held at The Valley, it would have been run over 1200 metres.
Due to ongoing renovations at The Valley, the fixture has been relocated to Sandown.
“He’s forward enough to run well,” Busuttin stated.
“If this race was 1200 metres, we’d be waiting for the Mike Moroney (1400m at Flemington on Saturday week), so the way it has fallen, 1300 metres at Sandown, it’s perfect first-up. He’ll be strong late.”
Blind Raise secured victory in his initial two outings, both contested over 1400 metres, before his journey to Queensland where he finished in the midfield in the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
“He pulled up full of mucus up there,” Busuttin commented.
“It was too bad to be true, so we didn’t push on and he had a month off up there. If they’re running in Queensland, they can only have two or three weeks off, but it appears to help them being up there. Years ago, everyone used to do it, and for whatever reason people stopped, but now they’ve gone back to doing it. Does it do them any good, I don’t know. If they’re a good horse, they can come from anywhere.”
Busuttin is keen to ascertain the colt’s true ability this racing season.
He believes the Caulfield Guineas presents as the most logical objective.
“But you have to get there,” Busuttin added.
“The Caulfield Guineas, then the Spring Champion Stakes, that might be a nice race for him, but in a perfect world, he will end up in the Caulfield Guineas.”
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