Ascot Park trainer Sabin Kirkland is hoping his stakes-winning sprinter Buoyant can recapture his form of old when he lines-up in the Heineken Handicap (1200m) at his home track on Sunday.
The six-year-old son of Dalghar was one of the most exciting sprinters in the country two years ago when he had a near-perfect spring preparation, winning three and placing in two of his five starts that campaign, including victories in the Gr.3 Stewards Stakes (1200m) and Listed Hazlett Stakes (1200m).
Kirkland then elected to test Buoyant’s talents across the Tasman, initially in the care of Matthew Enright before transferring to Mornington trainer Brett Scott.
Buoyant failed to fire in Australia, and while Kirkland persevered with his gelding in Victoria, he decided to bring him home at the start of the season in the hope of recapturing his New Zealand form.
“He didn’t fire over in Australia. It didn’t start well when he was scratched in his first start when he played up in the barrier,” Kirkland said.
“We thought we would go down to Mornington and try another trainer down there and see if that worked out, but it didn’t, and now he is home.
“The last four starts he had he drew the outside marble, and you can’t win from there.”
Buoyant may take a form line of duck eggs into his resuming run on Sunday, but he is the only stakes winner in the field and the clear class horse of the race on his New Zealand form, and Kirkland is hoping he can prove that this weekend.
“He arrived home in early August. I have been very happy with him, but he is just hard to get a line on with the way the weather has been. We will know more after Sunday,” he said.
“It is going to be a super heavy track. At this stage I am just wondering if they are going to run them or not, we have had a lot of rain down here.
“But hopefully he gets a run and can pick up his New Zealand form.”
If he picks up that form, stakes targets await Buoyant, with a potential trip north to try and recapture his crown in the Stewards Stakes during New Zealand Cup Week in November.
“We might have another crack at the Stewards, he does like Riccarton,” Kirkland said. “There are a lot of other opportunities as well, we’ll just see how he comes up.”
