King’s Gambit reverted to his old habits first-up in Melbourne, but if he can bring his best behaviour to Rosehill, co-trainer Peter Snowden expects him to give the Roman Consul Stakes a shake.
The Snowdens have a better record than most in the Group 2 sprint, winning three of the past seven renewals with Russian Revolution (2016), Cosmic Force (2019) and Wild Ruler (2020).
Snowden has no doubt Group 1 placegetter King’s Gambit has the ability to add his name to that list, if he can keep his pre-race manners in check.
The colt was doing all the right things in his trials and at home but it went awry at Flemington when he got worked up prior to the Poseidon Stakes (1100m) then jumped too well for his own good, taking up an uncustomary leadership role and tiring late to finish third.
“It just went pear-shaped there but he’s back home now and he’ll be better for that run under his belt,” Peter Snowden said.
“He just gets a bit hot at times but if he’s good in the yard he’ll run a really good race.
“It’s a great field, a really good rendition of the race, but we’ve drawn a nice gate (seven) to let that speed go and get on the back of it and that’s what we want – a little bit of cover, let them run at a nice pace then he won’t pull and if he gets the right scenario, he can really do something.”
While disappointed in King’s Gambit’s first-up antics, Snowden hasn’t lost faith in the Golden Slipper placegetter.
His maiden straight track experience didn’t yield the desired result, but a start in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington remains on the table if he can turn things around on Saturday.
“All the way through that (Coolmore) was our target race, but when he did as many things wrong as he did the other day, we’re a bit loathe to go back there,” Snowden said.
“If he happened to run well on Saturday we’d probably revisit it and think about it.”
King’s Gambit is a $6 chance for the Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) with betting headed by unbeaten colt Ozzmosis, who is the $2.30 Dabble favourite after returning with a commanding performance in the Heritage Stakes (1100m) last month.