One of trainer Mike Moroney’s main spring carnival hopefuls, Savile Row, is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne later this week.
The rising four-year-old finished second in three Group One races in New Zealand this season before being spelled after finishing unplaced in the New Zealand Derby won by Gingernuts.
Some other New Zealand three-year-olds – Gingernuts, Jon Snow, Bonneval – made an impression with Group One wins in Sydney during the autumn and Savile Row will be given his chance to do likewise this spring.
Moroney said Savile Row was due to arrive from New Zealand on Wednesday having been back in work for around six weeks.
“He will probably kick off in the Bobbie Lewis and our first thoughts are to give him a preparation through the Toorak Handicap and see where he fits in from there,” Moroney said.
“He should be well in the weights at the handicaps.”
The Group Two Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) is at Flemington on September 16.
Moroney has also turned his attention to the spring with import Radipole after he raced to his first Australian win at Caulfield last Saturday week.
Radipole scored over 1800m in his third Australian appearance after finishing sixth over 1400m in his first two starts of the campaign at Flemington.
Moroney was impressed by the gelding’s Caulfield win and said he would have three weeks in the paddock before getting ready for a spring preparation.
The trainer believes Radipole’s ideal distance range will be between 1600m and 2200m.
“We’ve now learned a lot about him in these three runs which is great,” Moroney said.
Radipole raced as Justwantacontact in France where he won four of his eight starts including a 1600m Listed race in Toulouse last September.
“We really bought him thinking he was a 2000-metre horse and at times we just wondered whether we were right because he wanted to over-race first-up over 1400 metres here,” Moroney said.
“But once we got him fit he’s really shown the signs that he’s a mile-and-a-quarter horse, which is good.”