Tulloch Lodge has its sights on the Group One Epsom Handicap for Con Te Partiro if she can bounce back to winning form in the Shannon Stakes at Rosehill.
Adrian Bott, who works in partnership with prolific Epsom Handicap-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse, has confirmed the stable is keen to get the American-bred mare into the showpiece mile on Saturday week.
“We wouldn’t hesitate to back her up in the Epsom. It’s a race we’d like to get her to,” Bott said.
“If she can win on Saturday she gets in with a light weight and a strongly run mile at Randwick would be ideal for her.”
If successful at Rosehill, Con Te Partiro will have to race three weeks in succession having finished midfield in last Friday’s Cameron Handicap at Newcastle won by Rock.
The effort followed an eye-catching return behind Deprive in the Show County Quality (1200m) and Bott has urged punters to assess the mare on her first-up fourth, rather than her performance at Newcastle.
“Things didn’t go to plan at Newcastle. She didn’t have any luck in running and wasn’t able to be fully tested so it was a forgive run,” Bott said.
“This is a nice race for her.”
Con Te Partiro, who has 50kg in the Epsom, is on the second line of Shannon Stakes betting at $4.20 behind the Kris Lees-trained Gem Song at $2.60.
Tulloch Lodge has won the Shannon Stakes (1500m) four times in the past 20 years including in 2005 with Lotteria who went on to finish third to stablemate Desert War in the Epsom and claimed a Group One success during that year’s Melbourne spring carnival.
