Undefeated excitement machine Bel Sprinter will make their Caulfield race debut this weekend, the Jason Warren-trained four-year-old looking to maintain their flawless record in the $100,000 Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m).
Bel Sprinter has not disappointed his growing fan base, the well-bred son of Bel Esprit by Snippits mare Gavroche winning all three of his career starts to date.
“We’ve always had a really nice opinion of him,” Mornington-based trainer Warren said.
On Saturday not only will the promising sprinter be racing at Caulfield for the first time, but they will also be stepping up to stakes company and to the 1200 metres for the first time.
Originally Warren nominated Bel Sprinter for their stakes debut in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington last Saturday, subsequently won by Queensland raider Temple Of Boom, but the decision was made to save them for the Regal Roller.
Warren is setting Bel Sprinter on the path towards the $350,000 Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 24 and is hoping for a good showing from them on Saturday to kick-start their spring campaign.
“I’m hoping we can get him to the Sir Rupert Clarke….which is sort of the other reason I wanted to go to Caulfield (instead of Flemington),” Warren said.
“We’ll know more once he’s had another run or two over the 1200 (metres) if he’ll get to that distance (1400 metres).”
Their breeding suggests Bel Sprinter can step up in grade and race competitively in the feature sprints, his dam Gavroche having shown good speed during her short-lived career.
“She’s very fast,” Warren said of Gavroche.
“Lee freedman trained her, she only won one race as she was very immature as well and unfortunately she ended up bleeding so she got retired to stud.”
Bel Sprinter showed Warren plenty of promise ahead of their test on Saturday with a strong bit of work at the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.
“The track manager there Jason Kerr made the course proper available to us which was good of him,” Warren said.
“And the horse worked super.
“Ben Melham rode him and he did evens for 800 metres then sprinted home the last three furlongs.
“I’m really looking forward to Saturday now.
“He’ll get the minimum (53kg) and looks a good chance.”
Other notable horses among the 24 Regal Roller Stakes nominations this year include David Hayes’ Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner Eagle Falls, evergreen eight-year-old Danzylum, Emirates Stakes third placegetter Chasm and Peter Snowden’s Australian Guineas runner-up Bullbars.
The 2011 Regal Roller Stakes final field of acceptances and barrier draw will be released by Racing Victoria on Wednesday and published here at Races.com.au so bookmark this site.
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