Smerdon Runners Continue On Group One Path
- Wednesday, 15 April 2015 07:57
Under The Louvre will chase back-to-back stakes wins at Caulfield on Saturday in a race also designed to provide a solid grounding for his main aim next month.
Under The Louvre was runner-up in the Group One Oakleigh Plate first-up and was a dominant last-start winner of the Listed Hareeba Stakes (1200m) at Mornington when he stormed down the outside.
The in-form sprinter rises to 1400m in Saturday's Listed Anniversary Vase, an important step in a program geared towards the Group One Goodwood (1200m) four weeks later at Morphettville.
"It's a month away but he appreciates a bit of a gap between runs," trainer Robert Smerdon said.
"He'll be coming back to a tough 1200 metres so (Saturday's 1400m race) is part of a plan to have him solid for the Goodwood."
Smerdon says Under The Louvre, already a stakes winner at 1400m, has come through his latest win in fantastic order although the get-back sprinter will have to overcome the outside barrier in a capacity field of 15 plus four emergencies.
The horse is among three Smerdon-trained Caulfield runners with Group One targets in Adelaide in the coming weeks.
Fontein Ruby has figured in a change of plans in the lead-up to the Australasian Oaks on May 2.
The Group-winning filly runs in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Reef (1600m) at Caulfield after Smerdon decided against an early trip to Adelaide for the $115,000 Group Three Schweppervescence Stakes (1800m) on the same day.
"There's too much money on offer in the race at Caulfield," Smerdon said.
"It's in her own backyard, it's set weights. It was just too much to walk away from."
Nick Hall will partner Fontein Ruby with regular rider Mark Zahra sidelined through suspension.
Politeness returns from a hoof issue which has kept her from racing since her first-up third in the Bellmaine Stakes at Caulfield two months ago.
She runs in Saturday's Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) with a view to progressing to the Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide two weeks later.
"She's had a hoof issue that's been troubling her, it's been two steps forward and one step back," Smerdon said.
"But now we're confident she's back on deck so we're happy with her.
"She'll run well on Saturday but it's designed to have her peaking in the Sangster."
