It’s off to Adelaide for team Darley this Saturday with the Peter Snowden-trained four-year-old Galah gearing up for their resuming run in The Goodwood 2013 at Morphettville Racecourse.
Galah is ready to return to form in the 2013 The Goodwood. Photo: Taron Clarke.
A winner of four of their 15 starts to date, most notably the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes over the Flemington mile back in October of 2011, Galah will be racing first-up off a four and a half month spell.
Last seen finishing a disappointing 13th as the beaten favourite in the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm in late December, the Redoute’s Choice stallion is one of the 38 early entries for the $500,000 Group 1 The Distinctive Homes Goodwood (1200m) which will be reduced to the capacity 20 starter final field later today.
The Adelaide Autumn Carnival classic will be Galah’s third attempt at a Group 1 race following two distant finishes in the Randwick – Rosehill Guineas last year.
“It’s a race that he’s ready for,” Snowden’s son and stable foreman Paul Snowden said of The Goodwood.
“He’s a nice horse fresh and it looks an even sort of race, nothing jumps off the page.
“He’s got to be in the mix if he gets a decent draw.”
Snowden is also expected to accept for Altar in The Goodwood field, the four-year-old Commands mare coming off a fourth in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at the track late last month.
“She probably got too far back last start but she finished the race off well,” Snowden said of Altar’s last start effort.
If all goes to plan Galah will continue onto the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival where they will also be kept to the shorter distance sprints.
“He’s probably going to go to Brisbane, I would imagine, after Saturday’s race but we’ll just see how he runs,” Snowden said.
“We think a fast-run 1200 metres might suit him. I think a mile probably just pulls him up so we’re trying to keep him to shorter races and hopefully we’ll see the best of him.”
Of course the horse to beat in The Goodwood this year is Peter Moody’s Newmarket Handicap runner-up Moment Of Change looking to improve on their dead last behind the now retired Pierro in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on March 23.
Other notable hopefuls likely to accept include first three over the line in the Robert Sangster – Platelet (1st), Angelic Light (2nd) and Yosei (3rd).
Stay tuned to Races.com.au for all the weekend’s race fields out today and tomorrow.
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