Following triumphs during the initial pair of days at the Adelaide Carnival, Lloyd Kennewell is aiming to convert that momentum into a substantial victory at Morphettville this Saturday.
Vangogh Bankcheque claimed success at the Australasian Oaks/Sangster Stakes card on April 25, while Straand Deal delivered a win for Kennewell at the South Australian Derby event last Saturday.
As a native South Australian, Kennewell relishes his visits back from his Cranbourne headquarters and desires nothing more than to secure a local Group 1 success for his collection of trophies.
Kennewell has Meridius entered in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville this Saturday, marking the concluding Group 1 race of the Adelaide Carnival, alongside Kokako in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes (1200m) and Howcani Resistyou in the Group 3 David Coles AM Stakes (1200m).
This marks the third occasion Meridius has competed at Group 1 level and the gelding’s initial appearance since his three-year-old season, when he contested both the Caulfield Guineas and Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring of 2022.
Following a visit to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions Carnival in January, Meridius has completed two outings to ready himself for The Goodwood.
He triumphed on debut at Caulfield over 1200m on March 21 prior to an unfortunate third placing in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on April 4.
“He’s going good and probably should have won the Victoria Handicap,” Kennewell said.
“He’s won there, he knows the place well and I’m keen to run him in it as well, plus I’m very happy to have some nice runners when I head back home again.”
Kennewell has enlisted the expertise of prominent Perth jockey Chris Parnham.
The trainer noted challenges in booking a jockey, as several of his usual riders are not traveling to Adelaide for The Goodwood card.
“There weren’t many riders going over to ride on Goodwood Day which I thought was quite interesting,” Kennewell said.
“Mark Zahra wasn’t going, neither was Craig Williams, Jamie Melham was going to ride mine, but she’s up on the Gold Coast to ride Half Yours.
“There was a lot going on with riders, so I wanted to get on the front foot and get a very good rider, and Chris is an ‘A grader’.
“We’ve got a bit of a relationship with him, so he’s going over, and we’re very happy to have him on.”
Explore the Australian betting sites for the top odds ahead of The Goodwood at Morphettville.