Promising three-year-old Eliud (NZ) (Almanzor) is expected to relish the step up to a middle distance when he makes his Australian debut on Saturday.
The Tony Pike-trained son of Almanzor earned a trip to Melbourne off the back of a brace of domestic victories and travelled over without incident last Wednesday.
“He has been nominated for Mahogany Series and will run at Flemington in the three-year-old 2000m race,” Pike said.
“Should he go as expected on Saturday, the final is two weeks later over 2500m.”
Eliud opened his current preparation with a runner-up finish and has subsequently posted effortless victories over 1400 and 1600m.
“Obviously, his maiden win was against pretty weak company at New Plymouth and then he beat a couple of pretty handy three-year-olds (Bozo and Loch Katrine) at Wanganui,” Pike said.
“There’s nothing really left here for him at this point of time, so while he’s on the way up we thought we’d give him the chance at the series in Melbourne.
“They do it well for those early winter horses and Blake Shinn has been booked to ride him.”
Eliud was a $320,000 Karaka purchase out of breeder Valachi Downs’ draft and is a son of the Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) winner Pendleton (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle).
The Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) winner Viewed (Scenic) also features on his pedigree page.
“He’s bred to stay all day and has been really strong at both ends of his races to be fair,” Pike said.
“He’s put a good margin over them late in his races up to a mile so 2000m should suit.”
In the meantime, Pike will have a quartet of runners at Wednesday’s meeting at Pukekohe.
“They are all chances and it might be a bit of a lottery with the track conditions (Heavy 10), but they should all run well,” he said.
“I think Delz Abeel will take good improvement from his debut run and should go close and Poetic Justice has been working really well, they are probably the two main hopes.”
Delz Abeel (NZ) (Swiss Ace) was a first-up third over the course and distance earlier this month and contests the Hallmark Stud Maiden (1200m) while Poetic Justice (NZ) (Almanzor) was second at Te Aroha and bids to go one better in the Stella Artois Maiden (1600m).
Revuelto (NZ) (Reliable Man) is likely to appreciate the gradual step up in trip in the Auckland Co-Op Taxis Maiden (1400m) and the consistent Maldini (NZ) (Tarzino) will end his current campaign when he steps out in the Skycity Horizon Handicap (1600m).
“Maldini got stuck in the worst of the ground the other day with 60kg and he’s probably drawn (gate two) in the wrong part again,” Pike said.
“He is a really genuine horse though and we’ll give him a freshen-up after this and bring him back for the spring.”
