TRAINER Peter Lafferty has no high expectations for Canterbury King when the four-year-old runs in a maiden at Warrnambool on Sunday, as he prefers to look to the future for the former Queensland galloper.
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Canterbury King makes his debut for Lafferty in a 1700-metre race, after 12 starts up north which resulted in three minor placings.
“He's slow and gangly,” the Warrnambool-based trainer said.
“Canterbury King has been in the stable for about two months. There's no big wraps on him from me.
“Let's say he's a work in progress. He's going to take a bit of time. The longer-distance races or jumps races may be the key to his future”
Lafferty, the son of late legendary trainer Kevin Lafferty, purchased Canterbury King with the November 2018 $300,000 Jericho Cup, over 4600 metres at Warrnambool, in the back of his mind, following a chat with a bloodstock agent.
“It was really strange; I sold all the shares in Canterbury King within a couple of days,” he said.
“It's the quickest that I've ever syndicated a horse. I've got owners from Queensland, Melbourne and Warrnambool. The Queensland owners have never been to Warrnambool.
“The Jericho Cup is the dream and so are the jumps races, but we had to start him off somewhere and the maiden on Sunday seems ideal.”
Warrnambool Racing Club racecourse manager Daniel Lumsden said the running rail for the seven-race program would be in the true position and the track would possibly be rated a heavy eight.
