Elephant (NZ) (Shocking) got a Group One welcome to remember in the Toorak Handicap (1600m), leaving his co-trainer David Browne forced to re-focus his campaign.
The Kiwi galloper was bumped a few times when the pressure came on in the home straight and Elephant got squeezed out before rallying to be beaten less than four lengths.
“He’s a small horse and it was a pretty tough race, so we’ll just see how he gets through it,” Browne said.
Elephant needed to win the Toorak to be granted a place in the Gr. 1 Cox Plate (2040m) so while that race is now all but out of reach, the Gr.2 Waterford Crystal Mile (1600m) on Cox Plate day might be a good race for him two weeks out from an AUS$2 million Gr.1 Cantala (1600m) at Flemington.
I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking) rightly got the plaudits for his Toorak win at just his eighth start, but the Toorak was also only the eighth time Elephant has run.
Browne is hoping to find another Flemington carnival runner from his small team of visitors when Rhinoceros (NZ) (Vadamos) runs over 1600m for three-year-olds at Caulfield on Wednesday.