Edition To Make Best Of Burden
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday June 4, 2007
THE task confronting Gold Edition in Saturday's $1 million Stradbroke Handicap isn't lost on trainer Ron Maund, but the Toowoomba horseman warns the freakish filly is on the improve.
"Some of the older horses are terrifically well weighted," Maund said yesterday. "The handicapper must have been on holidays when Mitanni won at the Gold Coast and at Eagle Farm with [jockey] Shane Scriven looking over his shoulder and waiting for rivals."He had plenty of weight, and the handicapper has dropped him down to 54.5 kilograms, just above my filly. She shouldn't be able to beat him but I don't think she knows that."Gold Edition has 53.5kg in Queensland racing's signature race, while the John O'Shea-trained Reigning To Win has 52.5kg, which is also a concern to Maund. Reigning To Win holds a decision over Gold Edition, having beaten the filly in the Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick last spring."Allowing for the 2kg fillies get under the weight-for-age scale, he is really 3kg lighter than she is," Maund said. "And history says no three-year-old filly has won it with more than 50kg and she has to carry 53.5kg ... it is a bit of weight. It is a tall order but we've put some tall orders to her and usually she does her very best and salutes. She is a wonderful filly, she'll rise to the occasion, I'm sure."Scriven has a healthy respect for Gold Edition but remains firmly of the opinion his rising eight-year-old Mitanni is the one to beat. "I'm glad she [Gold Edition] is in it," Scriven said. "If she gets a soft lead she is unbeatable but I've never seen a horse get a soft lead in a Stradbroke."It'll be a truly run race, and provided that is the case it'll be made for something to run home over the top, and that will be me. I've never been so confident in a group 1 race."Reigning To Win will round off its Stradbroke Handicap preparations in Sydney this week, while stablemate Friday Creek is expected to work on the course proper at Eagle Farm tomorrow."I'm very happy with both my horses," said O'Shea, who won the 2003 Stradbroke with Private Steer, which like Gold Edition was a three-year-old filly but carried only 48kg.Mitanni finished third under 59kg behind Takeover Target in the Doomben 10,000, three-quarters of a length from the runner-up Gold Edition, which had 54.5kg. Mitanni was having its first start for new trainer Guy Walter with Scriven keen on riding the gelding in a gallop at Eagle Farm tomorrow."From all reports the old boy is enjoying himself," Scriven said. "He has done a little more than I expected every run into this race. It has all been leading up to the one race, and it has been leaps and bounds instead of steady progress, I'm really excited."He'll gallop at Eagle Farm on Tuesday, and we'll wait for a nice barrier draw and tick over until Saturday."Maund hasn't ruled out putting Gold Edition on a float and heading to Eagle Farm tomorrow to utilise the course proper. "It all depends on what the weather does," he said. "If our track is not suitable we could easy take her down to Eagle Farm and give her a gallop."We've done that before. Maybe a trip down and gallop on the outside of the course proper would be beautiful. I'll give that some thought."As usual, Gold Edition had a couple of days roaming around her paddock following the Doomben 10,000. "She had an easy time until last Thursday then did a bit of fast work, a solid gallop, on the woodchip yesterday," Maund said. "I think she is improving. She has only had three runs up from a spell, I see no reason why she won't be in good order."
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
