Decircles has earned the chance to emulate stablemate Adamantium in the Group Three Standish Handicap with his straight-track victory at Flemington.
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The Danny O’Brien-trained Decircles led all the way in Saturday’s Isis Handicap (1200m) to win by three-quarters of a length in the same race Adamantium took out last year on his way to victory in the Standish Handicap over the same course.
Decircles had won and finished second in his two previous 1200m starts at Flemington and enjoyed getting back on the straight-track third-up from a spell.
“He got run off his feet in his first couple of starts this preparation over 1000 and 1100 metres around the bends, but down the straight over 1200 with a softer tempo he controlled the race and was never going to lose,” O’Brien said.
Decircles defeated Morant by three-quarters of a length with the same margin to Like Bolt third.
“He’s a summer sort of horse. The Standish is on New Year’s Day, Adamantium came out of this race and won it last year so we might give him a chance,” O’Brien said.
“He’s very good down the straight.”
The summer target for the Robert Smerdon-trained Electric Fusion is not as clear-cut but the trainer was delighted to see the gelding put his rivals away stylishly in Saturday’s Zouki Western Health Cup (2000m).
Electric Fusion went into the race off the back of a narrow last-start win where he was reluctant to sprint clear of his rivals, but it was a different story this time as the four-year-old moved into the race in the straight before powering clear to win by 5-1/2 lengths over Gottino.
“It was good because he put them away and he’s never done that before in his life,” Smerdon said.
“Hopefully it’s a sign of confidence coming into the horse.”
Cox Plate-winning apprentice Chad Schofield claimed a winning double on the Bart and James Cummings-trained The Peak and Backstedt for his boss David Hayes.
Earlier, two-year-old I Am The General put himself into Magic Millions Classic contention with his all-the-way win at his second start in the LeadWest Plate (1000m).
