2023 PB Lawrence Stakes Results: Cox Plate Hope Mr Brightside Salutes First-Up
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Nominating a total of five classy runners for first-up appearances in this weekend’s featured Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick, trainer Chris Waller has revealed he will not accept a position in the final field for talented sprinter Kencella, instead outlining plans for a trip south of the border for the five-year-old.
Transferring to the care of Waller following previous trainer John O’Shea’s decision to take up the head training role with Darley Australia, Kencella has secured an impressive total of six wins and two minor places from just ten competitive race starts so far.
Yet to settle on a path for the Exceed And Excel gelding, Waller cited a lack of appropriate events in Sydney at this time in of year for a runner like Kencella as the major reason for the likely trip to Victoria this time in.
“Kencella will go to Melbourne and race down there, I just didn’t think weight-for-age is quite right for him at the moment,” Waller told TVN.
“What you see is what you get, he is a fast horse, I think he is an 1100m Rosehill specialist, so I thought 1200m at weight-for-age level away from Rosehill wasn’t ideal.
“Where is the next 1100m race at Rosehill? There is none, so the next best option was either Melbourne or the Show County…he is ready to go.
“I might take him to Melbourne and try and stretch him out to 1400m because otherwise he is going to be hard to place.
“John O’Shea has done a terrific job with him and it is going to be hard to take him to the next level.”
Performing well over the late spring/summer/Autumn Racing Carnival, Kencella won the Carlton Mid Handicap (1100m) at Wyong first-up and continued to build in class and form on his way to three victories back-to-back, including the Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) on March 22nd; returning to the spelling paddock after being unable to fire and eleventh in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) just one week later.
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