By Jonny Turner
After an outstanding autumn, Brigadiers Son will attempt to take his game up a level in the Bluff Cup at Ascot Park on Monday.
The Doug McLachlan trained pacer comes into the annual feature in the best form of his career following a string of strong performances.
The four-year-old went down narrowly to Wrecking Ball in his last outing at Winton, so narrowly that McLachlan requested a review of the photo finish.
Brigadiers Son looks to be facing the toughest test of his recent racing but on the plus side he strips fitter for his last start second, which came following a freshen up.
“He appears to be good and right on target,” McLachlan said.
“He fought back the other day, I was very happy with his run.”
Though McLachlan doesn’t put his pacer’s rich run of form down to anything in particular, he has been making slight changes to his horse’s training regime and gear.
“He is just in a good place, he is working good.”
“If anything I have backed up on him, not working him quite as hard as I used to.”
“So he has got a bit of relief there.”
“We did put pull downs on him, he has had that for three starts now.”
“I have changed his bit as well, I had an ordinary snaffle bit on him but I have put a mullen on him just to get a bit more leverage.”
“I felt he was trying to look out a bit more the other day.”
McLachlan also starts his grand old veteran Franco Huntington on Monday.
The ten-year-old lines up from the same draw he won from in his last visit to the track.
Staying in the same grade, the trainer doesn’t think barrier 8 will be enough to stop the pacer.
“I don’t think it will be.”
“He has got the rating in that race to probably dictate the race and he has been working good again.”
“I’m more than happy with him.”
Jaffie J starts inside her stablemate Franco Huntington in barrier 4.
The six-year-old ran a solid race for fifth in her last visit to Ascot Park.
“In her last start she pulled a flat tyre and she wasn’t much more than a length from them at the finish.”
Tangier Tango starts from a handy draw in barrier 2 on Monday.
McLachlan is hoping a bit change can make a positive difference to her racing.
“If you look at some of her races on the last bend has been getting her head out.”
“My drivers have been saying she has been losing a length by doing that, so I have put a murphy on her.”
John Morrison takes the reins behind Tangier Tango, Brigadiers Son and Franco Huntington.
Sheree Tomlinson will pilot Jaffie J.
