Crocetti.
Trainer Danny Walker has some scary words for Crocetti’s rivals over the next month starting with tomorrow’s $150,000 Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa.
“I don’t think he has ever got to top speed yet,” says Walker who trains the unbeaten three-year-old in partnership with Arron Tata.
Crocetti has won his four starts by an average 3 lengths and is blessed with the high cruising speed and manners of a Group 1 winner in waiting.
He is already $1.90 to win next month’s $600,000 2000 Guineas at Riccarton but the road to Riccarton runs through the Sarten at Te Rapa.
Crocetti meets the also unbeaten Lupo Solitario, who isn’t a 2000 Guineas contender, as well as Solidify, To Catch A Thief, What You Wish For and Monday Melody who remain in the Guineas market.
That is a reason the Sarten carries such weight for trainers because horses who can’t run a strong 1400m tomorrow realistically have no chance over 1600m in the Guineas — it’s hard to start booking a spot on the flight to Christchurch if your horse gets spanked by five lengths tomorrow.
So it is moving day for some of the most talented members of the three-year-old crop and that is one thing Crocetti can really do: move.
He has shown plenty of natural speed but was allowed to trail over 1200m on this track last start to add another weapon to his arsenal.
After some traffic issues at the top of the straight he bolted through a gap and Walker says that gives them options tomorrow.
“He is so fast, he pulls himself to the lead but we know he can trail and accelerate through a gap,” he told the Herald.
“So it will be up to Warren [Kennedy, jockey] to decide what to do but the horse is very well.
“Arron does all the work on him and he gave him a really good gallop last Saturday morning so he is ready.
“He wouldn’t be as screwed down at he might be at Riccarton, all going well in four weeks, but he is close enough.”
With his early speed, Crocetti would seem to have options that key rival Lupo Solitario may not, even though he, too, oozes x-factor.
The giant gelding has been stunningly impressive in what will be good form races but is raw and looks likely to have to come from behind Crocetti. If he can do that, it will be something special.
There is plenty of depth for a small field but with Te Rapa likely to provide a perfect surface and the rail in the true position, punters would be wise to stay with speedy horses.
The 1000 and 2000 Guineas are at Riccarton on November 11 and 18. The key lead-up races are:
Saturday:
● $150,000 Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa
● $40,000 Happy Hire 3YO at Trentham
Sunday
$18,500 Wide Span Sheds 3YO at Ashburton, featuring Talisker
Saturday Oct 28:
$175,000 Jamieson Park Soliloquy Stakes at Pukekohe
$100,000 War Decree Stakes at Riccarton
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.