Two-time Group 1 winner Trust In A Gust has been confirmed to retire into a stud career following the 2015 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival and will return in Saturday’s $150,000 Vobis Gold Sprint (1200m) at Caulfield.
Trust In A Gust will return to racing in Saturday’s Vobis Sprint at Caulfield. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia
Finishing outside the minors only twice through his seventeen start career so far, Trust In A Gust undoubtedly found career-best form to date over the 2014 Spring Carnival, highlighted by wins in each of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) last time out on October 11th.
Revealing the Keep The Faith entire has been slightly behind in work, leading to a delay in his competitive return, trainer Darren Weir told AAP he is thrilled with the condition of the talented four-year-old and is confident of a typically competitive performance first-up on Saturday.
“He was just three weeks behind where he should have been, that’s all. I’m rapt in the way he’s going,” Weir said.
“He’s heading to Brisbane but I wanted to give him a race before he went up there and the race at Caulfield makes sense.”
Confirming the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) as his first target upon arriving in Brisbane on May 9th, Weir said Trust In A Gust would then progress to the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) a fortnight later before ending his career in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) on June 6th.
Weir has also revealed classy mare Platelet will retire from racing at the conclusion of her current preparation and is hopeful she can also secure another Group 1 victory through the major Adelaide sprints in May.
A two-time Group 1 winner in her own right, Platelet broke through for a maiden win at the highest level in the 2013 edition of the Robert Sangster Classic before repeating the dose in The Goodwood a fortnight later.
“It would be great to see Trust In A Gust and Platelet win another Group One, but they’ve already done their job for me, and for their owners,” Weir added.
Nominations for Saturday’s Vobis Sprint are due by midday today, while a final field and barrier draw is set to be completed and released by midday, Wednesday.
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