Punters are keeping faith with Luvaluva (NZ) (Mastercraftsman) who will start favourite in the Summer Cup in her bid to win her first race for more than 18 months.
The John Sargent-trained mare has been as short as $3.70 for Thursday’s Group Three race since acceptances on Monday but is now at $4.
Sargent deliberately kept her to shorter distances this preparation as he got her ready for the $1 million The Gong (1600m).
She finished sixth in that race on November 23, 1-1/2 lengths from the winner Mister Sea Wolf.
Sargent decided to give her one more run before a spell , sending her back up to 2000m, the distance of her last win in the Adrian Knox Stakes in April last year.
“She is a horse I think is better over the longer distances but we were concentrating on The Gong,” Sargent said.
“I’d like to get her a confidence boosting win.”
The trainer admits he was initially disappointed with Luvaluva’s performance in The Gong but has decided in retrospect it was not as bad as it seemed as she was forced wide.
“We’ve backed off and kept her a bit fresh with a trial since The Gong,” he said.
“I’m expecting her to go well.”
Luvaluva will be ridden by Koby Jennings
The Summer Cup was won last year by the Matthew Smith-trained Fierce Impact who enjoyed a stellar Melbourne spring with Group One wins in the Toorak Handicap and Cantala Stakes, both over 1600m.
Trainer Kris Lees will wait until race morning to make a final decision whether Turnberry runs in the Summer Cup or is saved for a 1600m-race on Saturday.
Turnberry has been close without winning at his past three starts which have yielded a third and two seconds.
If he runs in the Summer Cup, Jay Ford will ride at 54kg with Sam Clenton to take 2kg off his 60kg if he happens to run on Saturday.
“Turnberry is going really well and is a close to another win,” Lees said.
“I’m sure he will be hard to beat in whichever race he runs in.”
