Shamexpress sizzles in jumpout
A slick jumpout at Flemington this morning has crack sprinter Shamexpress primed for the King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.
The O’Reilly colt displayed his impressive turn of foot to come from midfield and sizzle past his rivals in an eight-horse trial with raceday jockey Craig Newitt in the saddle.
The last 400m of the four-furlong trial was covered in 21.73 seconds, which brought a smile to the face of trainer Danny O’Brien.
“It was great to be able to get him on the course proper here and open him up a bit down the straight, which is obviously what he’ll be doing there in England,” the Flemington trainer said.
“The horse has got to be really race fit when he gets on the plane and that (jumpout) will just bring him right to the mark.”
This morning’s piece of work followed a more leisurely jumpout on the Flemington steeplegrass seven days earlier.
They have been Shamexpress’s most serious outings since booking his trip to England with victory in the $1 million Group 1 Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on 9 March.
O’Brien, who has twice campaigned at Royal Ascot, with Glamour Puss and Star Witness, is comfortable with the campaign he has undertaken.
“We missed the autumn in Sydney and Brisbane with the idea of having him 110 percent in England,” O’Brien said.
“Everything’s gone to plan so far, we’ve just got to get the travelling out of the way now and he’ll be ready to run at Ascot on the 18th of June.”
Shamexpress flies out with the John O’Shea-trained Sea Siren next Wednesday, who will target the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot, and O’Brien said will have one more serious hit out before the race.
“He flies out Wednesday, which is 13 days before the race and the first week he’ll just find his feet and acclimatise. We’ll probably give him one solid gallop four or five days out from the King’s Stand,” O’Brien said.
The King’s Stand could be one of four runs in Europe for Shamexpress, who, unlike fellow Group 1-winning colts Pierro, All Too Hard and Your Song, will race on at four.
“The plan is to run him just the once at Ascot and then the July Cup, which is about three weeks later and then we’d be guided from there.
“There’s a possibility he’d stay through the summer over there, he’s certainly got three or four runs in him if we wanted to stay there.
“We’re in no rush to have to get home for a stallion season. He’ll race on next season as a 4YO and I imagine he’ll find a home at some stage in the next 12 months.”
Story by Racing Victoria, to view jump out from Racing Victoria website click here
Photo by Getty Images