West Australian trainer Danny Morton hasn't been scared off by ace sprinters Weekend Hussler and Apache Cat and will take them both on in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington with his star galloper Scenic Blast.
The 4-year-old looked to be in for a successful spring carnival when he
won well first-up over 1200m at Caulfield last August, but he was found to have a wind problem after he finished 11th behind Weekend Hussler in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30.
Scenic Blast resumed with a 3-length second to Dante's Volonte in a 1100m open handicap at Ascot on January 10.
"He's prepped up pretty well. He's back after a throat operation which he had in Melbourne last spring so you're on tenterhooks a little bit hoping they have come back as good as they were before, but I've got no reason to believe that he hasn't so we're looking forward to it," Morton said.
"He had an epiglottis entrapment which as far as wind operations go is the one you want to have if you have to have one. It's all good so far. He's been scoped a few times to make sure it's all on track which it is.
"There is certainly plenty of depth in the race, that's for sure," Morton said regarding the Lightning Stakes (1100m) on January 31. "But he's pretty much raced at the top level for a while now and as long as everything is right with him going into the big races he should give a good account of himself."
- AAP
