The addition of blinkers and a step up to 2000 metres give imported galloper He’s Your Man the chance to show his best in the Mornington Cup Prelude at Caulfield.
The five-year-old’s summer campaign is aimed at next month’s Mornington Cup (2400m) with the winner of the race gaining automatic entry to the Caulfield Cup in the spring.
The Chris Waller-trained He’s Your Man has been placed at his two Australian starts at distances short of his best and the stable expects him to improve over the 2000m of Saturday’s Prelude.
He’s Your Man finished second over 1400m to subsequent Listed winner Anlon on New Year’s Day at Flemington then stepped up to 1720m on January 18 at the same track to finish third.
Waller’s Melbourne stable representative Justine Hales said He’s Your Man was headed towards the $350,000 Listed Mornington Cup on February 12.
He’s Your Man’s two wins in France were over 2400 metres and he was a close second to Lost In The Moment over the same distance at Newmarket last July.
“Definitely the further he goes, the better he’ll be,” Hales said.
“First-up he ran really well fresh. We tried not to do too much with him before his last start but he just showed he needed more ground.”
The Mornington Cup Prelude has attracted 22 nominations including 2012 Australian Derby winner Ethiopia who has top weight of 60kg.
Another French import, Prairie Star has 57.5kg while Perth star God Has Spoken on 55.5kg is the only other entrant above the minimum 54kg.
The in-form Gai Waterhouse-trained runner Laidback Larry, the Darren Weir-trained Prince Of Penzance and last start Perth Cup runner-up God Has Spoken are among the nominations.
Laidback Larry has won five of his nine starts, his latest by an impressive 4-1/2 lengths at Randwick at his first 2000m test, prompting Waterhouse to declare him an ideal Caulfield Cup contender.
The classy six-year-old, who has won 10 of his 26 starts in Western Australia, will run in the $120,000 Listed W.J. Adams Stakes.
God Has Spoken’s trainer Neville Parnham will also start sprinter Excelorada at Caulfield in the Listed W J Adams (1000m).
Parnham will then assess wether Excelorada can take on some of the better sprinters in the Oakleigh Plate.
