Can talented mare Slow Burn run out a strong 1400m?
That’s one of the pressing questions ahead of Saturday’s Rosehill meeting and her trainer Les Bridge is confident the four-year-old will pass the distance test with flying colours.
Bridge has good reason to want to try Slow Burn’s limits in the Chandon S Handicap (1400m).
“I was thinking about running her in some of the better fillies and mares races next time in,’’ Bridge said.
“This will be her last run before she goes out so if I’m going to try her at 1400m I decided to do it now.
“I think she will run it. She has a good cruising speed and as long as James (Innes Jnr) rates her right I think she will be fine.’’
There isn’t a lot in Slow Burn’s pedigree to tell us whether she’s bred to be more than a short courser.
Her dam Hot Flash only had seven starts and raced beyond 1200m just once though her sire Duporth won a Golden Rose at three and ran fourth in a Caulfield Guineas.
Slow Burn, $3 favourite with TAB, was a dominant last start winner over 1100m at Rosehill on November 4 and Bridge said he wouldn’t be concerned if the mare leads.
According to Punters Intel data, Slow Burn ran 10.89 (400-200) and 11.29 (last 200m) in winning last start from on the speed.
“It’s not a hard 1400m at Rosehill. It’s a different pace, if she can get there on the bit and control the speed she will be hard to beat,’’ he said.
“They are going to have to beat her in the straight. It’s when you step them up into the stakes race you really find out but she’s done everything right.’’
Bridge said he is “filthy on myself” after the first-up failure of Pelorus Jack at Randwick three weeks ago.
The lightly raced gelding raced wide and refused to settle behind the slow speed and Bridge advised to forget the run as a guide to the Jaydub Electrical Handicap (1200m).
“I should have put him in a 1200m, I put him in a 1400m and there was no speed on,’’ he said.
“Early in his career he used to over race and I got him out of that.
“It was just bad luck, there was no pace on and he totally over raced. You don’t always get it right and I got that one wrong.’’
Bridge is hoping for a more genuine speed at Rosehill and said the inside alley will be more conducive to the horse settling a lot better.
He does have an opinion of Pelorus Jack and feels he’ll really excel later on over a mile.
Bridge’s third runner at Rosehill is Balmain Boy who resumes in the #theraces Handicap (1400m) and his assessment of the enigmatic five-year-old, who hasn’t won for 774 days, is amusing.
“Balmain Boy is Balmain Boy. He’s likely to come out and win two or three straight but you don’t know with him,’’ he said.
– Racing NSW
