The 2800-metre distance of the Listed VRC St Leger might be an unknown factor for several three-year olds, but the Te Akau team is confident West Indies (NZ) (Fastnet Rock) will relish the staying test at Flemington on Friday.
“He’s probably going to be the one horse in the race that’s bred to stay, out of a Galileo mare,” said Ben Gleeson, Mark Walker’s Melbourne-based assistant trainer.
“I think he’ll certainly eat up 2800m and I think he’ll be as fit and strong as anything in the race.”
West Indies will be having his fourth start for Walker on Friday afternoon and has been placed at both of his outings this preparation.
“He trialled last Monday; we’ve piled the work into him to have him fit enough for this run,” Gleeson said.
“I thought his last run at Cranbourne was very game, he just has a little idiosyncrasy of laying in and laying out, which with another bit change, we’re hoping straightens him out.
“We had that on him in his jumpout last Monday and he went straight and finished off really nicely.”
West Indies is one of two runners that will represent Te Akau at the Anzac Day fixture, with lightly raced Cambridge Stud owned filly Esternay (All Too Hard) to bid for successive victories when she contests the Benchmark 70 Handicap for three-year-old fillies.
“She’s good, she had a little freshen up, we just put her down at the beach for a week,” Gleeson said.
“She’s been a filly that’s been in work for a long time, so a week down at the beach has done her the world of good.
“We’ve built her back up to a jumpout last Monday as well, she jumped out terrifically, Blake Shinn had a sit on her, he really liked her and he wanted to stick with her for this race, which gave us enough confidence.
“We’re thrilled, we think she’s come on leaps and bounds. We think as a four-year-old, generally the All Too Hards get better with age, but I think she’s going to be a nice filly to have some fun with.”