Co-trainer Tom Sadler believes the $200,000 Sir John Monash Stakes over 1100m could be decided right out of the barriers at Caulfield today.
Look out for what could well be an intriguing battle early on between Sadler’s maturing five-year-old Sartorial Splendor – who is $14 to win with Palmerbet – and Peter Moody’s $2.90 favourite, Oxley Road.
“If Oxley Road inside him wants to take him on, that could be to his (Sartorial Splendor’s) detriment,” Sadler, who conditions his horses alongside father John, told horsebetting.com.au.
“But if he can find a lead around the corner and still be conserving energy like he has his past two runs, he’ll give a really good kick.
“He’ll certainly be giving them something to run down, anyway.”
It has been this recent calmness under pressure which has been a feature of Sartorial Splendor’s past two starts – third in the Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final on July 2 and second in the Country Achiever Gwenda Johnstone on June 18.
And it has impressed Sadler, who would like to see his sprinter adopt the same strategy today.
“The most impressive thing about his past two runs has been that he’s been happy to contain himself, which shows he’s pain-free and not worried about anything,” he said.
“He’s maturing, even though he’s a five-year-old.
“With 1200 down the straight – if you’re a leader you’re vulnerable in that trip. Although he’s not as well weighted (58.5kg compared to 54kg last start) as he was last Saturday, he’s back to 1100.”
Sartorial Splendor’s last win was over that distance at Caulfield on May 29 last year, but only had two more starts in 2021 – which weren’t until December – due to feet issues.
But Sadler believes his sprinter with $592,650 to his name – and six wins from 22 starts – has shown this preparation that those fitness setbacks could be hurdles of the past.
“He’s going really well. The horse has got quite difficult feet to manage, but this time in he hasn’t been sore and he’s been enjoying his work, which is easier said than done with him,” he said.
“We’ve tried a few different things with him and, as everyone can see, his past two runs have been really good.
“He’s a beautiful horse to deal with. Just physically he’s not blessed with good feet. We’ve been aided by the environment here – since we’ve moved here, he seems to have really enjoyed it.
“Having a full prep here has been one of the things that has got him back going.”
Indeed, the Sadler stable staff have loved working their horses at the world-class Pakenham Racecourse.
Their stable complex has 28 large, well-ventilated boxes within an enclosed main barn, five outdoor boxes and a treadmill, a new eight-horse walker and sand-roll.
“The sand track is fantastic, and really accommodating for horses,” Sadler said.
“It’s a very big space – the grass tracks are outstanding and the synthetic grass is very good.
“Working on synthetic has changed from ‘you have to work on it’ to ‘you’re happy to work on it’.
“And the horses’ actions are really showing that. The fact they’ve got the surfaces right here, it’s really paying dividends.”
Despite Sartorial Splendor’s newfound maturity, Sadler believes he still hasn’t lost his natural sprinting instincts.
“Those on-speed horses as everyone knows really travel into the race, they travel down to the furlong, and then you’ve got a furlong to get at them and try and get them to the line,” he said.
“He’s no different; he’s been very aggressive for most of his life. He’s always wanted to go through hard.”
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