Ramornie Handicap ambitions might not come to fruition for Hellenism this year but a shot at The Kosciuszko is on the cards after her determined Highway Handicap victory at Rosehill.
While trainer Aiden St Vincent has not ruled out backing up the five-year-old in Wednesday’s feature Grafton sprint, the decision is likely to be taken out of his hands as the mare is well down the order of entry and will need a high attrition rate to gain a start.
However, connections are also keen to head towards the $1.2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) in October after Hellenism ticked off her short-term goal by winning the Highway Handicap (1100m) on Saturday.
“I’ll get her home then whether we get to go to Grafton on Wednesday for the Ramornie, I’d love to but I don’t think she will get a run. We might be a year early,” St Vincent said.
“But I’m sure she will shorten in the market for the Kosciuszko now and she’s shown she can run in the wet.
“The big target was to get her back from a hiccup, she had a long time off, and win another Highway and the owners have been rewarded.”
Tim Clark made the most of Hellenism’s inside draw, stalking the leader and shouldering into the clear in the straight.
Hellenism ($3.70 fav) took a few strides to balance up but she surged over the final stages to post a half-length win over Knight Driver ($9.50) with Lady River ($9.50) making ground down the outside another half-head away.
The winner is a $26 chance in early Kosciuszko markets.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au