Trainer backs stayer to win
Ray Hickson
Coach Joe Pride did his best to place fair-minded goalkeeper Elle Hudson in an advantageous position in Kensington on Wednesday and hopes she can back up her latest push into the start.
Gray claimed his first win in 18 months over 2200 meters at Newcastle two weeks ago. Pride said he would be hard to beat in the Nutrien Ag Solutions Handicap (2400m).
He carried 60 kilos to win the race on July 14 with jockey Sam Clipperton. This was Elle Hudson’s third win from 23 starts and she dropped 1.5kg against some familiar rivals in Sydney.
“It’s not that much of an improvement, he’ll face a few guys who are a little bit worse at the weights,” Pride said.
“I thought you were so dominant on them the other day that you could get the job done again.
“Don’t worry, he will run 2400 metres, he was looking for that kind of trip. He would be very difficult to beat and he has run well in Kenso when I have run him there in the past.”
Pride has the 2400m Benchmark 78 in mind at Randwick on Saturday for Elle Hudson to end her campaign if she can make it back-to-back wins.
“If he can win one or both of these, it means it has been a successful preparation, he does not win without waiting, but he is mature enough now,” he said.
Former South Australian galloper Anthracite is confident he didn’t have that talent in either of his two starts in Sydney earlier this year, but he’s pretty confident he can turn things around.
The five-year-old won three of his first four starts before arriving at the Warwick Farm stables. The trainer said he learned a lot from this unsuccessful campaign.
“Forget the two races he did in Sydney, this time I started from scratch and I’m happy with him,” Pride said. “He’s an interesting horse. He’s got a profile that we can develop and I think he could be a useful horse in Sydney.”
Anthracite started favorite after a few tries on his debut in Sydney, with Pride giving him a similar build to the TAB Handicap (1300m).
“He seems a little lost, he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s got some serious talent in his locker,” Pride said.
“I need to unlock it. He’s an interesting horse, he’s not easy to do, but there’s something about him.”
Provided by Racing NSW
