Adam I Am made quite the impression with his two eye-catching wins over spring and trainer Glenn Old said he has returned a more furnished animal ahead of summer racing.
The four-year-old gelding broke through for his maiden win in emphatic style at Matamata in May when winning by five-lengths, and doubled his win tally a month later at Hastings.
He has since had a freshen-up and Old is looking forward to tackling the big prizemoney on offer this summer with the son of Almanzor.
“He had a bit of a break after Hastings and he has matured up yet again, he looks great,” Old said.
“He is going to be a really big horse. He is bordering 16.3 (hands) now and has put on 20kg since Hastings.”
Old, who purchased Adam I Am as a yearling at Karaka for $100,000, has taken a patient approach with the gelding, and he is hoping to reap those rewards in the coming months.
“We are going a bit like the old ways, letting him mature up before we put the pressure on,” he said.
Adam I Am will have his first summer outing in the Championship Qualifier (1200m) at Pukekohe on Saturday, with his summer programme hinging on the result.
“He is in good order. He is a naturally fit horse and doesn’t take a lot. We will just take it one race at a time and analyse each race,” Old said.
“The only concern (about the Championship Final) would be the back-up of 16 days, but he needs to do things really well on Saturday to do that.
“There is a lot of money around this summer. There are a couple of those $350,000 races deep in the summer we can look at.”
The $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie January 27 is another big carrot Old is contemplating, but he said he may bypass the rich feature In favour of some softer targets a month later.
“I have kept an open mind about that (Aotearoa Classic). If Legarto and Prowess go there, I think I will avoid them. There is no rush at this stage,” he said.
Old could also be chasing a berth in the $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m) with last start victor Choose ‘Em Big.
“Choose ‘Em Big looks quite promising. He is a big horse as well,” Old said.
“He is going to Te Rapa on December 23. If he won that he will qualify for that MAAT mile in February worth $350,000.”
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