Reinsman Jason Lee is confident Code Bailey (pictured in January after winning the Bendigo Cup) is “forward enough to be racing” ahead of tonight’s Pryde’s EasiFeed Victoria Cup but admits “tonight is not his grand final”.
“If he was well into his prep and we were confident he could burn the candle at both ends, we’d run the gate as hard as we could,” he said.
“I just reckon first-up it’d be a risk to try and come out all guns blazing when there’s so much speed. We will definitely come out and have a bit of a look, but it’ll be a case of waiting to see how things unfold and making up my mind from there.”
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Lee, who watches every free-for-all race in Australia and has done for years, says it is important to remember that “Menangle gate speed is different to Melton”.
“The biggest thing is the gate at Menangle is different to Melton. Sometimes horses get out real quick at Menangle and they still get out quick at Melton, but it may not suit them as much,” he said.
“We’ve had horses get out real nice at Melton, then up in Sydney they fly out like they’ve got another wing on every foot.”
Looking beyond tonight, Lee said the TAB Summer of Glory Carnival in 2021 loomed as the most likely “grand final” target for Code Bailey with the Hunter Cup the jewel in that crown.
He also didn’t rule out a trip to Western Australia or Queensland but admitted given the uncertainty surrounding this year, it has made planning anything difficult.
Lee also pilots Dance Craze, who is favourite for the Aldebaran Park Bill Collins Trotters Sprint (Race 5 at 7.32pm).
“She’s airborne,” he said.
“Her win last week was just awesome. We’ll do our best to get out safe. She can fly the gate but I just want to make sure she’s happy.”
Driver Kerryn Manning (pictured) will have the reins aboard Red Hot Tooth drawn in four and her initial thinking is she’ll be having a look for the front.
“I haven’t really talked to Paul and Kari (Males) but they’re usually on the same page as me. I’d probably think we’ll be going forward. Dance Craze is probably quicker than me, but I’d get him (Jason Lee) to the sprint lane no worries – so I don’t think I can cross with my speed if Dance Craze comes out as good as she can, but we’ll just have to see,” Manning said.
Chris Alford, meanwhile, will drive Wobelee, who is drawn inside the back row following out Dance Craze.
Alford scotched suggestions Wobelee may not be ideally placed to take advantage of a potential treasure map situation – Wobelee behind race leader Dance Craze.
“No, no worries there,” he said when asked about Wobelee’s pre-race disposition.
“That’d be the perfect situation and hopefully that’s how it plays out.”
Trainer Lance Justice says Rishi has done everything right – and he’s been watching his TAB Smoken Up Sprint winning pacer “like a hawk” all week.
“Everything he’s done has been superb. I’ve been watching like a hawk all week, I’m being super cautious,” Justice said.
Justice has twice won the Victoria Cup – in 2004 with Sokyola and 2011 with Smoken Up – and he said he was “probably in the top-two favourites both those times”.
Rishi (pictured with Mick Bellman after wininng last weekend) is $41 with TAB, in from $61.
“I just hope he gets a clean run through them at the finish and I hope it’s not a stop-start affair,” he said.
Asked about tactics, Justice said “that’s up to Michael Bellman”.
But if he were driving Rishi: “I’d punch through in the one-out line. If there’s a genuine tempo early, then you can be one off the fence. Four-fence is a big ask to win from, but it’s up to Michael.”
On Jean Luc (which this scribe has declared as bet of the weekend on the Friday Form Panel – Race 1 No.1), Justice said: “I think he should win, unless something goes wrong. I think I’ll probably be leading. All his trackwork has been in front and Rishi struggles to get past him”.
Manning said Terryrama (Race 3 No.9) initially felt “plain” last week, but upon reflection and looking at the times Manning said, “how can you got much better?”
“He just lacks a bit of gate speed. From barrier nine tonight we’ll just be as positive as we can.”
Manning has outsider Steam Punk drawn outside the front row in the last (Race 11 No.7) and said while he was big odds, “This week has been the best he’s worked for a long time”.
Alford, meanwhile, was extremely confident about unbeaten filly Rogue Wave (Race 4 No.8) in the Alabar Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic Final.
“It looks like the one horse (Platinum Sparkle) will be quickest off the front row, so I’d say it should be holding the front and I can hopefully keep its back,” he said.
Alford also praised the last-start fourth of Sicario and said he was a bit player in the TAB Popular Alm.
“He’s going well enough to punch through. He got off the gate good enough last time. If that’s how it goes then I think he can hold and win. But if there’s too much pressure we can always hand up and take the sprint lane. He was very good last week.”
Alford said Cruz Bromac would rely on a “Caribbean Blaster type situation” to win the feature race from his extreme draw, pointing to the fact that the New Zealand Cup was most likely to be Cruz Bromac’s major target.
Race 1 tonight is scheduled for 5.20pm and all the action can be viewed live on Trots Vision at thetrots.com.au taking full Sky Racing Active coverage from the track.
