ALL eyes will turn to Shepparton on Thursday night.
That’s where the gifted but now somewhat mysterious pacing star Captain Ravishing will have his first official trial in preparation for the TAB Eureka.
Trainer Ahmed Taiba said Captain Ravishing has recovered from a minor hoof issue after his solo Geelong workout last Friday week.
“He worked at home yesterday (Saturday),” Taiba said. “The timing works best if we take him to Shepparton from a proper trial now.”
Providing everything goes well; Captain Ravishing would then head to Menangle for one more trial ahead of a first-up tilt at the TAB Eureka on September 2.
It would be his first race since the Miracle Mile, also at Menangle, on March 4.
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TRAINER Andy Gath will rely on a trial rather than another race to prime Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave for the TAB Eureka.
Gath was thrilled with the four-year-old narrow but fantastic Melton win last Saturday night.
“I won’t run him again,” he said. “I don’t want to back him up next week after a tough run like that and I don’t like the idea of racing him the week before we take him to Sydney.
“He showed us he was close to his best and that run will bring him on again."
“We can still screw him down a bit further, but we can do that at home and, probably, through a trial at Melton on the Tuesday before the Eureka. I could then float him to Menangle the next day.”
Catch A Wave’s win in a slick 1min51.7sec mile rate for 1720m was just the bounce-back everyone hoped for after his shock first defeat by stablemate and half-brother Yambukian at Melton three weeks earlier.
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DON’T miss Leap To Fame’s last lead-up before the $2.1mil TAB Eureka.
It will be this week but in a different time slot.
Leap To Fame will race in the 2138m free-for-all on Friday night instead of Saturday.
“We’ve got all the Triad finals on Saturday night at Albion Park, so the ‘normal’ races will be Friday night instead,” trainer-driver Grant Dixon said.
“Now we’ve just got to hope his race stands up and there’s enough runners this week for it to go ahead.
“Ideally, he runs this week, but if he doesn’t, there won’t be a Plan B. I’ll be able to get him right at home before he heads down to Sydney the Sunday before it (the TAB Eureka).”
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WHO will get the remaining two slots in the TAB Eureka?
We will know both by the end of the week, one of them probably in the next day or two.
It will be a big surprise if Wayne Loader doesn’t take his own talented four-year-old Ripp for his “Western Jewels” slot.
Ripp did everything you could expect when an eye-catching second at Menangle last Saturday night. It was just his second run back from an injury setback.
Then comes the last of the 10 slots, that of John Singleton, which will be known after the running of the $50,000 The Singo at Menangle on Saturday night.
Singleton has made it clear it won’t necessarily be the winner who lands his slot, but the horse which most catches his eye as a complete package.
Singleton and his advisors will use the time between The Singo (race four) and the fifth race at Menangle on Saturday to finalise the slot runner.
Highly talented Queenslander Tims A Trooper, a stablemate of TAB Eureka favourite Leap To Fame, is nominal favourite for The Singo.
Tims A Trooper was fantastic doing all the work and winning at Albion Park last Saturday night and looks in career-best form.
It’s great to see trainer-driver Michael Howlett making the trip across from Tasmanian with his emerging pacer, Mickey Oh, to try and give the Apple Isle a second TAB Eureka runner.
Mickey Oh ran a close and fighting second to Magician in last Saturday week’s Beautide in Hobart, with the winner landing Tasracing’s slot in the TAB Eureka.
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ANOTHER of those fighting for Singleton’s slot will be star WA mare Wonderful To Fly.
The four-year-old’s on again, off again Sydney raid is back on.
Trainer-driver Shane Young has locked in a flight to Melbourne today and will take Wonderful To Fly to Sydney by road later in the week.
“It hasn’t been as easy as I’d hoped, but I’m happy enough with this plan,” Young said over the weekend.
Young hopes a combination of Wonderful To Fly’s performance and the barrier advantage mares get in the TAB Eureka will sway Singleton to nab her for his slot.
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RACING Queensland’s slot runner Speak The Truth will continue his TAB Eureka preparation in the Qbred Triad final at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Trainer Shannon Price said she would assess the impressive Hayden winner after the Triad to decide whether to race him again before the TAB Eureka.
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DON’T sell the somewhat forgotten My Ultimate Ronnie short for the TAB Eureka.
That’s the word from trainer Jarrod Alchin, who insists the classy four-year-old is back on song after a below par Queensland winter campaign.
“He’s back, judging by his work,” Alchin said. “He’ll trial on Wednesday (at Menangle) and then have the one lead-up on Saturday week before the big one the week after.”
