New Zealand-bred gelding Kissinger (NZ) (Tavistock) will have the biggest test of his career when he steps out in the Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) on Saturday.
The seven-year-old was an exciting prospect before he required throat surgery, and his owners are looking forward to the Lindsey Smith-trained runner to finally realise his potential.
‘’We had him earmarked early on as a really nice prospect, but he went in the wind, so we had to have the tie-back surgery,’’ part-owner Brad Spicer told Racing.com.
‘’So, we’ve been a bit reluctant to take him out any further, just trying to get him to 2000 metres.’’
Spicer said they elected to try Kissinger over further ground at the behest of champion jockey Damien Oliver.
“It was on Ollie’s advice,’’ Spicer said. ‘’He rang up Lindsey (Smith) and said he’d been watching the horse and wanted to get on it. So, he won at Bendigo, ran second at Caulfield and then won the other day (Cranbourne).
“Ollie seems to have found the key to him. He’s had three rides on him and he should have nearly been undefeated as he had a think at Caulfield (when beaten by Port Philip).
“He can be a bit of a tricky animal and obviously you have to ride him accordingly and Ollie seems to be gelling well with him.
‘‘It’s a race we had in our mind for the last couple of months and Lindsey is really keen then to go to the Bagot because he goes so well at Flemington.’’
Spicer said he bought into Kissinger on the advice of Kiwi trainer and former jockey Nigel Tiley, who was downsizing his stable at the time.
‘’Nigel suggested I got a hold of this horse and so we bought half and Nigel stayed in.’’
Spicer has his fingers crosses a shower of rain arrives ahead of the weekend.
‘’If the weather gods were kind, they would put a few drops on the track before then,’’ he said,
Kissinger is on the third line of Pakenham Cup betting with Sportsbet at $7 alongside Good Idea and Sound and behind Persan ($4) and Milford ($5).
