Sergeant Major boasts a Listed success to his credit, yet Ciaron Maher’s deputy trainer, Johann Gerard-Dubord, insists the four-year-old gelding has more to offer.
Gerard-Dubord readily admits the horse has fallen short of expectations following his victory in the South Pacific Classic (1400m) during last autumn’s Sydney carnival, though he remains one of its strongest supporters.
“If he finally puts it all together, he’s got a lot of ability. We haven’t seen the best of him yet,” Gerard-Dubord said.
In addition to that autumn triumph in Sydney, the gelding achieved runner-up finishes twice in stakes events as a three-year-old prior to underperforming in four outings last spring.
The team chose to provide him with a lengthy spell after a midfield effort at Eagle Farm last November, and although the Queensland venture didn’t yield racing results, Gerard-Dubord feels it benefited him greatly.
“In his work, he looks like he could be anything, but he has been a bit disappointing at the races, even though he is a Listed winner,” he said.
“Last prep, we felt he wasn’t going as well as he could and he’s a gelding, so he is always going to keep improving. We stopped, reset and came back at this time of year.
“The trip to Queensland seems to have done the job, like it did with Gringotts and Jimmysstar.
“He has changed physically and mentally. He has done really well.”
Gerard-Dubord draws parallels between Sergeant Major and Gringotts, the latter who peaked at five and secured the previous two editions of The Big Dance (1600m).
Like that horse, he anticipates Sergeant Major might compete in such events eventually.
“He has always shown a lot of ability, and I have always compared him to Gringotts,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“He could be a Big Dance horse at some stage. We’ll play it by ear. But he is back at a good time, and there are good races in Queensland at the back-end of the carnival if he’s going well enough.”
Sergeant Major has attracted early support in betting, tightening from $16 into $11, while set to shoulder 57kg thanks to apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald’s three-kilo allowance.
Explore the Australian betting sites for top racing odds on Sergeant Major at Randwick.
