Adkins out to seal Stradbroke deal at Gosford after leg up from mate
Craig Kerry
Andrew Adkins hopes to lock down the Stradbroke Handicap race when he teams up with New Zealand trainer and good friend Rob Wellwood for the first time on promising Kiwi galloper Sweynesday at Gosford on Saturday.
Adkins has a strong book of rides on the independent program, headlined by Sweynesday ($9) in the listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) and the Tom Charlton-trained Sarrismo ($4.40 favorite) in the $500,000 The Coast (1600m).
Trained by Wellwood and Roger James, Sweynesday made his Australian debut after six wins and four placings in 10 starts in New Zealand. The five-year-old finished third aboard 1.6 length sprint sensation Jigsaw in the group 1 Railway Stakes at Ellerslie in January and returned there to win at group 3 level in March.
The stable is hoping to enter Sweynesday in the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 13 and Adkins was excited about the chance to partner him on Saturday and possibly beyond. The only negative for Sweynesday at Gosford was the 11th wicket draw from 12.
“Rob Wellwood and I are good friends and he texted me a few weeks ago about this opportunity,” Adkins said.
“Obviously he’s in really good form and this looks like the perfect race for him.
“Obviously he was racing against good horses, like Jigsaw. He’s got a bit of a rough road but he’s got an incredibly good chance.”
Wellwood, who joined Sweynesday this week, said he and James were eyeing the BRC Sprint or Kingsford-Smith Cup as the next step towards Stradbroke after Saturday.
“I would have liked to have seen him draw a little better but he traveled well and I think he did well in the race as well,” Wellwood said.
“He also did well against Jigsaw in the weight-for-age race, so going back to the handicap races, I think that puts him even further.”
Wellwood said the stable considered bringing in Sweynesday’s regular rider but opted to back Adkins and his local knowledge of the “tough” Gosford circuit.
“He’s a good guy and always rides very well,” she said.
“He probably didn’t have the best luck with injuries but he was a top class apprentice and things probably didn’t go in his favor one way or another.
“But when you talk to any of the big coaches in Sydney they have great respect for his driving.
“Most importantly, looking forward to a Stradbroke gives him the opportunity to get a feel for it. We haven’t locked anything in for the Stradbroke, but he’ll only get 51.5-52kg and Andrew will be able to use those lighter weights.”
The victory would cap a memorable week for owner Eddie Koh, who sold the Group 2-winning filly Chayan to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for a record $5.6 million Inglis President Sale on Thursday night. Coolmore secured the two-year-old ahead of Yulong, which spent $8.45 million on eight lots.
Meanwhile, Adkins said Sarrismo, who triumphed in his last Orange Cup start, is ready for his biggest challenge yet. The four-year-old pilot, who has a three-race winning streak, will reach first place at Sahil on Saturday.
“Obviously he came out of the Orange Cup very well because I worked with him on Tuesday morning and he was fantastic,” Adkins said.
“He’s preparing well going into it, he’s racing in career-best form and he’s continuing to build with confidence. He’ll have a very good chance at that, especially after the low draw.”
“As long as he can get free galloping range and consistent speed, he will keep coming.”
Adkins also rides the Peter Snowden-trained Touristic ($21) in the Gosford Cup and Joe Ible’s Spice Baby ($5) in the Midway Handicap.
