By Jonny Turner
Trial form says Graham Court’s team is ready to make a big impact at Oamaru on Sunday.
Court will start one of his largest line ups of the new season when stepping out five runners including Gilligans Island in the meeting’s feature pace.
One from one on the Oamaru course and having zipped home in tidy performances in two recent trials, the pacer looks primed for a big fresh up effort.
“It is a nice race for him, he is first up and the race will improve him but he has been working good,” Court said.
“The whole lot of my horses have been working good, I have got no worries with the whole lot of them.”
“If they get the right runs they should get a bit of money.”
Gilligans Island opened at $7 in race 10’s fixed odds win market, behind early favourite Katherine ($4).
First starter Zusak is another of Court’s team bringing smart trial form to Oamaru.
The two-year-old ran fourth, behind the early favourite for race 3 in Carana, in his first outing before powering home to win his next trial at Ashburton.
“He has only had two trials and he does go nice, he has the makings of a nice horse.”
“He is still a little bit green yet, he still doesn’t know really how to race properly, but what he does, he just does on his ear.”
The Terrorist has won two trials coming into race 3 for the Court stable.
Though his journey to his 2600m assignment is a little different to the preparations of his stablemates.
“He has been a funny horse, he qualified nice enough as a two-year-old.”
“Paul was doing him then and he said he has got no speed.”
“So, we chucked him out in the paddock and brought him back in.”
“When Paul went back to Canada I started trotting him for a while.”
“He qualified trotting and can trot a bit, but I was starting to get grey hairs from doing that.
“So, I put the hopples back on and he has won two trials and stepped up to the mark good.”
The Terrorist opened at a $6 fixed odds win price ahead of race 3’s early favourite, Carana ($4.50).
The Court stable also starts Magic Sign in race 6 and Expressive Love in race 9.
Magic Sign opened at $10 behind the early fixed odds favourite for race 6 in Red Right Hand ($3.20).
Expressive Love was rated a $15 opening price behind the early fixed odds favourite for race 9 in Sing To Me ($3.30).
