Rod ‘Rocket’ Douglas has a clear memory of the barrier draw for the 2019 Caulfield Guineas.
Douglas, who manages owner Jonothan Munz’s racing interests, was responsible for selecting the barriers for stablemates Super Seth and Groundswell, both trained by Anthony Freedman, ahead of the 2019 running.
Ultimately, Super Seth started from barrier four, following Douglas’s earlier selection of gate five during the week. A subsequent scratching from within the field allowed Groundswell to gain a start and finish third.
With the prestigious Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) scheduled for Saturday, Douglas was present at the Guineas barrier draw on Tuesday. He drew gate 5 for Call Me Coach, a colt owned by Munz and prepared by Anthony and Sam Freedman, after observing the colt’s workout at Caulfield.
Douglas, who was called upon first, assigned barrier 5 to Call Me Coach, who will race in the same colours as Super Seth and will be partnered by Mark Zahra, the jockey who steered Super Seth to a thrilling last-stride victory over Alligator Blood.
“We wanted somewhere between three and six as he’s an inexperienced horse,” Douglas said.
“It’s the same barrier I picked with Super Seth who eventually jumped from barrier four.
“Hopefully it’s a good omen.”
The father-and-son training duo, the Freedmans, will also field Wolf Gap, who secured barrier four and will have Ethan Brown in the saddle.
Sam Freedman noted that Brown has gained valuable insight into Wolf Gap, having ridden the colt when he finished fourth in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 19.
Super Seth had an unplaced run in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude before claiming the Guineas.
A field of 11 competitors is slated to participate in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on Saturday, with champion trainer Chris Waller entering four contenders.
Tron Bolt (11), Diameter (9), Central Europe (7) and Somethings Burnin’ (3) will represent Waller and all four participated in a gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.
The Bjorn Baker-trained Golden Rose winner, Warwoven, maintained its position as the favourite in the Caulfield Guineas betting at $2.50 after drawing barrier six.
Warwoven is scheduled to travel from Sydney on Thursday and will be housed with Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young at Cranbourne, who will present Blind Raise in Saturday’s event.
Blind Raise remains undefeated across two starts this preparation, securing a win first-up at Sandown on September 5, followed by a victory in the Guineas Prelude last start.
With Blake Shinn booked to ride, Blind Raise saw its odds shorten from $3.50 to $3.40 after drawing barrier two.
Punters can find competitive racing odds for the Caulfield Guineas at leading Australian betting sites.