Lindsey Smith’s Railway Stakes winning Perth galloper Scales Of Justice is in Melbourne and working well ahead of his scheduled first-up run in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes 2017.
Brad Rawiller rode Perth raider Scales Of Justice in a piece of work in Victoria this week. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos
The five-year-old Not A Single Doubt gelding is down to kick off his Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival bid on October 1 at Caulfield Racecourse in the Group 1 $500,000 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m).
The handicap clash will be the galloper’s first start since dominating proceedings at Belmont on July with a narrow win for the punters in the Group 3 Strickland Stakes (2000m).
Scales Of Justice is best known for his gun Perth Summer Racing Carnival last November where he won three Ascot races on the trot including the Group 1 $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m).
He backed-up from that nearly three length success to finishing a devastatingly close second behind Stratum Star in the Group 1 $1 million Kingston Town Classic (1800m) in early December.
After returning with three excellent winter runs at Belmont, Scales Of Justice came back from a subsequent spell travelling to Victoria last week where he has settled in well according to Smith.
Smith may be firm on what race Scales Of Justice will run first-up in but the Casuarina-based horseman is still unsure of a confirmed rider for his stable ace.
South African hoop Douglas Whyte had a successful association with the Group 1 winner last year including the Railway Stakes success.
Whyte is unavailable for the Melbourne Group 1 in four weeks’ time however, opening up the gun mount to another jockey including possibly Brad Rawiller.
Rawiller is yet to partner Scales Of Justice under race conditions but did put the horse through his paces in a smart Warrnambool gallop on Friday morning that impressed Smith.
“It wasn’t anything too serious, just a bit of evens and then he [Rawiller] let him go the last 400m but I was happy,” Smith told Racing Victoria.
“He’s settled in well and the people down here have been great.
“He’s been down the beach the last few days, which has been good for him because he’s obviously used to that back home.”
Smith could await the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes handicaps the week of the race before confirming a rider, pending the weight allocated to his $1.35 million earner who will be racing outside of W.A. for the first time in the Group 1 feature.
No horse has won the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes first-up since the Michael Moroney-trained mare Pernod back in 2002.
Scales Of Justice will also be looking to bring to an end the imposing winning streak by four-year-olds in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes with that age group winning the past seven editions of the race on the trot, most recently with Bon Aurum (2016) for Ciaron Maher last year.
Following the Sir Rupert the other upcoming elite level spring assignments for Scales Of Justice include the Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 14, Cantala Stakes (1600m), Emirates Stakes (2000) and possibly even a clash with super mare Winx in the $3 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) on October 28.
To back Scales Of Justice over the spring at the top Group 1 racing odds head to Ladbrokes.com.au.
