Logan Hopes to be Smiling
- Friday, 20 September 2002 00:00
One reason is that the six-year-old gelding is on trial for a tilt at the $A600,000 Metropolitan (2400m) in Sydney on October 7.
She is also looking for a good performance tomorrow to ensure that she finds a suitable Australian rider for the Group One Randwick feature.
"Originally Stathi Katsidis was going to ride him in the Metropolitan but he can't make his weight (52kg for that race," Logan said.
"I've already spoken to a couple of other riders and will be talking more to them after Saturday's race," she said.
Victory Smile is also nominated for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and will head down that path provided he races well in the Metropolitan.
The Victory Dance gelding raced well in Brisbane over the winter months recording a win in the Caloundra Cup and second placing in the Ipswich Cup.
Unfortunately he fell at his last start in the Grafton Cup but took no harm from the mishap.
Logan said Victory Smile had done the groundwork to prepare him for tomorrow's race.
"He has been back in work since the first week of August after a three-week break and he's done miles of training at the beach. He is forward enough to be competitive on Saturday provided the track is not too bad," she said.
The caretaker rider for tomorrow's race is experienced jockey Peter Johnson.
Logan will be going for back-to-back wins in the $25,000 Lindauer Guineas Trial at tomorrow's meeting.
She won the three-year-old race last year with top filly Vapour Trail. Her representative this time is another filly, Vixsun, who won last time out at Ruakaka.
"She needs a reasonable track too and if she gets it I feel she can give them a run for their money," Logan said. "We are hoping this race will give us a line on her ability."
Lee Rutherford is booked to ride Vixsun and she will also have the mount on talented stablemate Jetski who also resumes racing from a spell in the open 1400m event.
Easy Ruakaka winner Baluchi will contest the special conditions maiden 1400m race with Lance O'Sullivan to ride while other Logan-trained runners at Ellerslie will feature another last-start winner, Imperial Lord.
Media Release - TNZ