News

Sepoy swerve set to pay dividends

17th Aug 2011

AAP Racing - Mark Ryan - Tuesday 16 August, 2011

A decision to dodge star colt Sepoy with the in-form Hot Spin in the Vain Stakes could pay off when he runs in Saturday's McKenzie Stakes at Moonee Valley.

The Spinning World three-year-old is one of the many McKenzie entries heading towards the $1 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 8.

"He's on a Caulfield Guineas campaign but whether he gets there is a different thing," co-trainer Simon Zahra, who prepares Hot Spin in partnership with Mat Ellerton, said.

The three-year-old will be having his second start at 1200m on Saturday which will be his fourth run in after connections decided not to take on Sepoy who dominated the Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield last Saturday with a soft win over Golden Archer.

Hot Spin was runner-up to Golden Archer over 1100m at Flemington on debut and third to that colt over 1000m at Caulfield last December.

He had a seven-week break between runs and was gelded and spelled after he finished ninth to Masthead in the Inglis Premier (1200m) at Mornington in February.

Hot Spin resumed with a short half-head second to Bad Parent in an 1100m Wodonga two-year-old maiden on July 2.

The blinkers went on after that and he won over 1000m at Caulfield on July 16 and repeated the dose over the same course and distance on July 30 when beating McKenzie rival Kid Kobe.

"The run at Wodonga was good and his last two runs have been fantastic," Zahra said.

"He's done a great job but he's always shown us a lot. He hasn't done much wrong his whole career.

"He's probably a touch underrated if anything and we think he'll definitely get 1400 metres and a mile (1600m). He's a pretty laid-back sort of horse.

"We put the blinkers on him just to switch him on a bit and to get him to concentrate and it's done the job.

"If he happens to run well at Moonee Valley on Saturday we will just keep him on a Guineas campaign."

Hot Spin will carry 56.5kg in the set weights plus penalties Listed event, a kilogram less than topweights, VRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Running Tall and Maribyrnong Plate winner Arctic Command.

There are several winners in the race including The New Boy, Secret Hills, Anythingthatmoves, Sabrage, Gone Skiing, Niconoise, Amah Rock, Chase The Rainbow, Costly Commitment and Dontmentionthewar.

Premier trainer Peter Moody has Huegill, third to Sepoy at his only start in the Blue Diamond Prelude, and Godspeed nominated.