Mystery still surrounds the failure of Solzhenitsyn in the group one Mackinnon Stakes, but he has the opportunity to bounce back to form in today's A$1 million group one Emirates Stakes.
The New Zealand-bred son of St Petersburg finished a long last of the nine runners in last Saturday's featureafter being eased down by rider Nash Rawiller. In the absence of any other explanation, the consensus is that Solzhenitsyn must have choked down and will wear a tongue tie today.
"We are 99 per cent certain he choked down but there's really no way to be sure," trainer Robert Heathcote said. "We've worked him in the tongue tie all week and he's taken to it like a duck to water. Hopefully that solves things because he's too good a racehorse to have run like that."
The wide open spaces of Flemington may help to negate a poor barrier draw for Nashville in the Emirates Stakes.
The Hunterville galloper will be forced to jump from the outside gate, but can produce a lethal finishing burst from the back and jockey Steven Arnold should at least be able steer an uninterrupted run in the straight.
Nashville came from last in the running to finish second in the group one Spring Classic at Hastings at his most recent outing. He has since been given a quiet trial at Waverley.
Confidence in Epaulette's ability and a belief the sprinter will like the Flemington straight course convinced Kerrin McEvoy to chose him over two stablemates in the group one VRC Sprint Classic.
And having won the race on Mental last year, McEvoy is confident Epaulette is capable of making it back-to-back wins for the jockey should the dual group one-winning sprinter put his best foot forward in today's A$1 million race.
Epaulette, winner of the 2012 Golden Rose and this year's Doomben 10,000, is one of three Peter Snowden-trained runners along with Sessions and 3-year-old Sidestep.
McEvoy said it was a "tough choice" between Epaulette and last-start group one Manikato Stakes placegetter Sessions.
