After Geegees Gemstone’s mainland assault was aborted earlier this month it’s hoped all will go well when fellow smart local sprinter Thespian Waters tackles the $150,000 Funky Farm Sprint (1100m) at Flemington this Saturday.
The Siggy Carr-trained four-year-old Headwater gelding scored a barnstorming win in the TRC Goodwood Handicap first up last prep before a close fourth in the TTC Newmarket, followed by narrow defeats to the ill-fated The Inevitable at weight-for-age in the Conquering and Tasmanian Stakes.
With the services of the best hoop to come out of Tassie, Craig Newitt, he is likely to get back and launch late.
Meanwhile back home, training honours were shared at last Sunday’s Devonport meeting, with John Blacker and Glenn Steveson notching a double each.
Stevenson was first on the board with debutante Blameitontheboogie finishing off hard from midfield under Codi Jordan for a dominant 3½-length win in the 1009-metre maiden.
The pair also combined to take the Class 1 handicap over 1350 metres with stable newcomer The Longest Yard.
Blacker won with honest sprinter Warica, who box-seated under Erica Byrne Burke before wearing down pacemaker Thoros Of Myr and holding off the late surge of race favourite Cornelian Bay in the benchmark 60 handicap over 1150 metres.
The state’s leading trainer then made it a running double with Manhattan Nights, who travelled kindly throughout under stable apprentice Jackson Radley before arriving in the concluding stages of the maiden plate over 1650 metres.
The win also completed a double for Radley, who had earlier taken the Class 2 handicap over 1150 metres on the Yassy Nishitani-trained Garcon D’Espoir.