McEvoy Keen To Test Affirmation
- Monday, 18 August 2014 08:54
Tony McEvoy is keen for Affirmation to have a decent hit-out on Tuesday morning ahead of the Up And Coming Stakes and hopes wet weather doesn't foil his plans.
An impressive last-start winner over 1400m at Caulfield, Affirmation is one of 13 nominations for Saturday's Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick and McEvoy is looking to use the Group Three race to test the gelding's Golden Rose prospects.
McEvoy said he would monitor how Affirmation works on Tuesday morning before locking in a start in Saturday's race.
"He's got to please me tomorrow morning," McEvoy said.
"We've had an incredible amount of rain at Hawkesbury. I'm hoping I can get a good piece of work into him tomorrow and if he pleases me and comes through it well he'll run on Saturday."
Glyn Schofield has been booked to ride Affirmation.
Paul Messara has nominated Rosebud winner Scissor Kick and stablemate Panzer Division while the runner-up from the Rosebud, the Peter Moody-trained Better Land has also been entered.
There were 13 three-year-olds nominated on Monday with entries extended until Tuesday morning.
John O'Shea has Meursault, an impressive winner at the feature Hawkesbury meeting on debut in May, nominated along with Group One-placed colt Kumaon.
Affirmation is at $15 for the $1 million Group One Golden Rose next month and McEvoy expects Saturday's race to determine whether Affirmation heads that way.
"If he shows me that he's really competitive on Saturday in this class we'll certainly consider the million-dollar race," McEvoy said.
Affirmation was fifth in the Inglis Classic in Sydney on debut in January before being gelded.
He resumed with a maiden win in Adelaide and then finished powerfully at Caulfield last start in a late-season two-year-old 1400m race to win by three lengths.
"I thought he was ultra-impressive with 57-1/2 (kilograms) on his back, running better sectionals than the Bletchingly Stakes on the day," McEvoy said.
