Doncaster hopes finish up preparations

Glen Boss is still trying to figure out why he’s not getting plenty of good rides after winning Group 1 races in successive weeks at Rosehill.

He rode Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet a treat in his demolition job of the Tancred Stakes field on Saturday just seven days after winning the George Ryder Stakes on Think It Over.

“I’ve been back in Sydney for 18 months and I’ve won the Epsom Handicap, the Newmarket, the Australian Cup, the ATC Oaks, the Cox Plate, the VRC Sprint, the Tancred, the George Ryder and The Everest and Golden Eagle,” Boss told Big Sports Breakfast Weekend on Sunday.

“People want to go on about my age but the horses don’t know or care how old you are.

“It’s the weirdest thing. I struggle to get decent rides on a Saturday and I’ve lost more good rides than I’ve gained in the past couple of months.

“I get limited opportunities now so I’ve got to make sure I hit the target every time.”

Sir Dragonet now comes into the frame for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday week.

He’s rated a fourth favourite ($11) behind equal top picks Verry Elleegant and Addeybb ($3) and $7 hope Mugatoo.

“I can’t wait for it. The step back in trip won’t bother him and he’s now one of the first ones to begin,” Boss said.

“He got back to his Cox Plate rating (on Saturday) and I knew if he brought that form that he’d be way too good for them.

“He put the writing on the wall at his start before in the Ranvet. His fitness levels are right up there now and he’s looking nicer to the eye.”

Boss will try and win his eighth Doncaster on Saturday with Think It Over who caused a boilover in the George Ryder but it didn’t surprise his rider.

“He’s been beautifully managed by Kerry Parker and we had a bit of a feeling he might be a Doncaster horse,” Boss said.

“I know he was big odds last start but I told Kerry he was over the odds and he wouldn’t let him down.

“He put his hand up to say he’s a legitimate Doncaster horse because of the weight he drops.”

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Group 1-winning trainer Annabel Neasham will press on with Mo’unga’s Doncaster Mile tilt this weekend provided he gallops well tomorrow morning.

The Rosehill Guineas winner is a $6 second favourite for the $3 million race on Saturday at Randwick behind All-Star Mile winner Mugatoo ($4.50).

Neasham said he’s fully recovered from a tough 2000m run where he had to dig deep and win from the back half of the field.

“He was tired for a couple of days after the run which was probably expected. It wasn’t an easy run for him. He had to loop the field and do a lot of work,” Neasham said.

“He feels great. I’ve been riding him this week and he’s had a real spring in his step. Provided he gallops well on Tuesday we’ll kick on for the Doncaster then the Queen Elizabeth.”

John O’Shea said last week that a top three-year-old might be the horse to upset the likes of Verry Elleegant and Addeybb in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 17.

And if the track at Randwick stays dry it will give Mo’unga the advantage, particularly over last year’s defending champion Addeybb who loves it wet.

When he got off Mo’unga at Rosehill last start Tommy Berry went straight to Neasham and said “his wheels were spinning on that ground, but he was just too good for them”.

“I’d rather a dry track for him. I suppose he’s a good horse that can handle any track but Tommy felt he was more effective on top of the ground,” Neasham said.

“It could be a few big weeks and I’m looking forward to it.”

Still on the Doncaster, and rival trainer John O’Shea had an interesting take on New Zealand raider Aegon.

The Murray Baker/Andrew Forsman-trained Kiwi came over to Australia unbeaten in four runs and didn’t disappoint when Aussie punters first saw him winning the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes in classy fashion.

He was then a $2.60 hope to win the Randwick Guineas before O’Shea’s three-year-old Lion’s Roar upstaged him.

“The market over read the Aegon thing,” O’Shea said.

“If you go through his form he’s always had spaced runs. When he won the Hobartville he was freshened up back to 1400m and had the good (Hugh) Bowman ride, sucked up, so he had everything in his favour that day.

“Two weeks later, which he’s never backed up in, he was back up on top of the ground and had to do a little bit of work so there were a lot of things against him.”

Aegon’s loss meant he wasn’t going to start favourite in the Doncaster and he’s rated a $13 chance to win on Saturday.

And this is the race where punters should be most wary of him according to O’Shea.

“The market tends to overreact to certain things without giving it full due course so the market will probably overreact with that horse going into the Doncaster saying he was a bit disappointing the other day,” O’Shea said.

“But he goes back to things that he likes in the Doncaster. He likes a month between runs and he likes wet tracks.”

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Kody Nestor is a little worried that a lack of speed might hinder Activation in Saturday’s $500,000 Country Championship Final (1400m) at Randwick.

“There doesn’t look like a lot of speed in the race because most of them who have qualified have sat off the speed so it will be interesting to see how it plays out,” Nestor said.

“If they do put on a good tempo and he gets to the outside he’ll be rushing home. He’s spot on and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Ben Looker retains the ride after he helped Activation qualify by winning the Coonamble heat in top fashion from last at the 800m.

He had a little 1000m jump out on Tuesday morning to tighten him right up for this weekend’s assignment.

“He’ll be hard to beat. If he turns up on his day they’ll want to be good to beat him,” Nestor said.

“He’s a pretty good horse. You have to take him on trust sometimes because he doesn’t have the best pattern.

“At a big track like Randwick over 1400m you need a horse that will get over a mile and he can do that.”

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The TAB has introduced a new concept called ‘The Lock’ aimed at giving punters an optimal return.

The Lock ensures that a winning Tote dividend won’t be less than the TAB Fixed Odds starting price.

Punters can only activate The Lock feature once per day but it will be reinstated if a bet doesn’t win, the tote dividend is higher than the fixed odds price or the horse is scratched.

The Lock can also only be activated on a stake of up to $500.

Originally published asNeasham has two more majors in sight

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