Young Cranbourne trainer Alex Rae has picked a Spring Carnival target for his lightly raced stayer Shock ‘Em Ova (NZ) (Shocking) and is working back from that date to start the gelding’s racing campaign.
Rae said the Gr.2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield was going to be a pivotal race in the spring campaign of Shock Em Ova who is back in training after an autumn break.
A veteran of five race starts, Shock Em Ova showed staying potential last year winning his first two starts in three-year-old company over 1600m and 2040m.
Returning for three runs in a summer-autumn campaign, Shock Em Ova finished second twice, the most recent over 2000m at Flemington in March.
Rae said the rising five-year-old, by Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, had spelled well and will be given the opportunity to show his staying talents in the spring.
“We took the ultra-conservative route with him as we think he’s a high-quality horse,” Rae said.
“Being by Shocking out of a slow developing family, and given the time that he has been given, we think he will be ready to fire this spring.”
Rae has dreams of running Shock Em Ova in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November but is the first to admit the gelding will need to earn his spot.
He said there was a number on country cups over a staying trip that may be options for Shock Em Ova in the spring.
“There are so many good country cup races over a mile-and-half, like the Bendigo Cup and so forth that if the horse is good enough, he’ll take us there off his own bat,” Rae said.
“But our immediate focus as a group is to work back from the Herbert Power Stakes for example.
“If we aim for there and if he happens to surpass that level or get to that level, the door will then be open to run in the better Cups.”
Success in the Herbert Power Stakes provides the winner at ballot exemption into the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) a week later.