ORFORD trainer Anne McGrath is hoping for a forward first-up showing from Clang And Dazzle when he runs in a $15,000 restricted race at Terang today.
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Clang And Dazzle’s only two runs in June this year on heavy tracks at Warrnambool resulted in an impressive maiden victory and a dogged fourth placing.
McGrath said the five-year-old faced the biggest test of his short career in the 1408-metre race.
“We’ll find out a bit more about him today,” she said.
“His only two runs have been excellent but they have been on heavy tracks.
“He’s a promising horse but we’ll find out if he’s just a really good wet tracker or not.
“Clang And Dazzle spelled well. He’s come back into work really strong.
“He trialled well over 1000 metres at Terang the other day. I’m very pleased how he is going.”
Camperdown trainer Geoff Daffy will saddle up the lightly-raced Irish Fire in the same race as Clang And Dazzle and believes the two-kilogram claim for apprentice jockey Jake Bayliss will be a factor.
“Irish Fire drops in class from his first-up run but goes up in weight. The claim for Jake will help his chances,” he said.
“I thought his run at Terang earlier this month was good.
“He has a win to his credit second-up before so that should not be a worry to him. He seems to be feeling pretty good so we’re expecting he should run well.”
Stablemate Me Hungi will take his place in an $80,000 race over 2000 metres at Flemington, with two significant changes from his last run when he failed at Caulfield.
Champion jockey Damian Oliver will ride the five-year-old and blinkers have been taken off after his last- start failure.
“We had the chance to put Ollie on the horse and jumped at it,” Daffy said. “Ollie should give us a good idea how Me Hungi is going.
“We decided to take the blinkers off after his last run. There was just no pace in the Caulfield race. You’ve just go to forget that run.”
Warrnambool’s Aaron Purcell has Val Mondo and King Of Dudes in a 2540-metre race at Flemington.
Purcell believes King Of Dudes may be his best chance.
“I thought King Of Dudes’ last-start effort to run third at Moonee Valley was excellent,” he said. “He had no luck in the run.”
Purcell has accepted with four runners at the Terang meeting.