After a controversial win on protest in Perth’s richest race, the $1 million Railway Stakes, Gino Poletti’s star-in-the-making Luckygray is ready to shoot for their second elite level success in Saturday week’s 2011 Kingston Town Classic.
2011 Kingston Town Classic Odds
The beautiful grey Bradbury’s Luck four-year-old posted their seventh career win from nine starts, and their fourth consecutive this season, when a successful protest by their jockey Shaun O’Donnell against first over the line He’s Remarkable and their hoop Kerrin McEvoy saw them awarded the Railway Stakes title for 2011.
Winning the Railway saw Luckygray’s stud value skyrocket, the progressive four-year-old now having won over $875,000 in prize money.
Next Saturday, December 3, they will get their chance to add to that further in the final Group 1 race of the year in Australia, the $500,000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot.
Poletti has now confirmed Luckygray will be a definite acceptor for the 2011 Kingston Town Classic field.
There was a chance Luckygray would be sent straight to the paddock for a freshen-up after they came through the Railway suffering from muscle soreness.
A successful treatment for the soreness that involved manipulating the horse’s muscles has seen Luckygray come on well and Poletti give the nod for them to continue onto the Kingston Town.
“At the moment he is running,” Poletti said on Thursday.
“He has responded to the muscle manipulation and there is no real damage.
“He had soreness in his neck, back and hindquarters from being twisted around in that interference last Saturday.
“His muscles were all out of sync.”
In regards to the possible legal action He’s Remarkable’s New Zealand-based trainer Roger James is considering to see the stewards’ Railway Stakes decision reversed, Poletti said that James had no real claims but that he understood how upsetting losing the Group 1 must have been.
“If you look at the film you will see Kerrin (McEvoy) was trying three or four times to move out for about 200 metres before the incident,” Poletti said.
“Luckygray was the third horse to get whacked and a rough-house affair
“It could have been carnage out there, but thank God no riders or horses went down.
“Whether it was a group 1, a maiden, a money or a stallion prospect, stewards have their job to do.
“They did the right think.
“I would feel gutted if I was in their (He’s Remarkable’s connections’) position, but they need to look at the whole picture.”
It will be their first attempt at the distance, Luckygray having only just stepped up to the mile for the first time in the Railway, but already the punters are keen to get behind them.
In the latest 2011 Kingston Town Classic odds at our preferred online bookmaker Luxbet, Luckygray is the narrow $3.50 favourite.
They are followed closely in the markets by Grant Williams’ beaten Railway Stakes favourite Ranger ($3.70 Luxbet) who is tipped to improve when stepping up to the 1800 metres and recent WA Guineas champion King Saul ($3.90).
The official 2011 GR Engineering Kingston Town Classic final field will be released on Monday November 28 and published right here at Races.com.au.
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