Racehorse TALK

Tell me about it.

Was a Sandown midweek regular for the past couple of seasons and now is blowing bluebloods like CLG and El Daana out of the water.  :|

Very good move.
Has old Gionfranco ever handed over any other horse. I seem to remember a good one he owned but it was trained by T. J. Smith. Taras Bulba was the horse but maybe "Jim" didn't have a trainers licence back then ?

Galilee

I think you'll find Taras Bulba was owned by Giulio Marconi, originally trained by George Hanlon before being transferred to T J.

Maybe you're thinking of another one.

He's improved about 10L! What a great vet!

Was very confident it'd win Sat, everything suited, smallish filed big track, Rodd on, $4 was nice.

13th November 2009, 3:43 pm
By Mark Ryan

MELBOURNE, Nov 13 AAP - Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mark Kavanagh is looking to top off his highly-successful spring carnival by winning Saturday's Group Two Sandown Classic with Raffaello.

Kavanagh won the Lexus Stakes and Melbourne Cup with Shocking and five races in all to be the leading trainer over the four days at Flemington and won four races over the three days of the Caulfield carnival including the Group One Yalumba Stakes with Whobegotyou.

The Flemington trainer took on Raffaello after his owner-breeder Jim Marconi retired early this year and the Encosta De Lago five-year-old entire made it four wins from nine starts for him when he carried 58kg to victory over 2000m on his home track last Saturday.

Raffaello gave stablemate and runner-up Itstheone a 4.5kg weight advantage in that race and beat him by 1-1/4 lengths, giving an indication of his improvement.

Last December, Itstheone carried 2.5kg more than Raffaello when beating him by a short half-head when winning over 1600m at Flemington.

Kavanagh said Raffaello simply outclassed last week's field.

"He carried a bit of weight, his sectionals were super and he was just too good," he said.

Among Raffaello's better performances were his second to Saturday's rival Miss Maren in the Group Three Easter Cup (2000m) last April and a fast-finishing third to Turffontein in the Group One Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) in September, both at Caulfield.

But he steps up to weight-for-age and 2400m for the first time on Saturday.

"His style of racing suggests he'll run 2400 metres," Kavanagh said.

"It looks a nice race for him and the easiest way to find out is to have a crack.

"He's having his sixth start for the campaign but his runs have been very spaced this time in and I would be suggesting he's still on the way up."

With Michael Rodd engaged for Zipping, who will be trying to become the first horse to win the race three times, Damien Oliver takes the reins on Raffaello for the first time.

Peter Snowden will test dual Group One winner Purple at weight-for-age for the first time following her narrow win in the Group Two Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.

"She's pulled up well from her run last Saturday. It would have been good to get a bit of moisture in the ground which would be in her favour for this race, but I think she's going well enough to be competitive anyway," he said.

"I'll know more after Saturday but a race like The BMW is certainly on the cards.

"I want to give her an easy preparation in the autumn and aim at some of the better races in the spring next year."

Mackinnon Stakes winner Scenic Shot is $3.40 favourite with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Master O'Reilly and Zipping at $4.80, Purple ($7) and Raffaello ($8.50) with Mackinnon runner-up Miss Maren next best at $11.

Back to Jim Marconi and he's not raced well in the two starts since. 

Mmm I thought it but didn't want to say it. 

Didn't even realise that - glad I haven't backed him then!