Top 2YO Padrisimo will miss the Breeders Crown heat tomorrow night at Shepparton with a cold.
Andy Gath’s rising star two-year-old Padrisimo has been scratched from tomorrow night’s Breeders Crown heats at Shepparton.
Gath told Harness Racing Victoria this morning the horse would be scoped and is possibly suffering a cold, which is the affliction that ruled him out of the Harness Jewels in New Zealand earlier this year.
“It is bad luck but you’ve just got to put the horse first,” Gath said.
Birdy Mach spearheads the line-up for the three Breeders Crown two-year-old colts and geldings heats at Shepparton.
Belinda and Luke McCarthy’s colt will line up in gate four in heat 11 of the series (Race 7 at Shepparton), hoping to bounce back after a shock defeat in the Tatlow Stakes last start.
Birdy Mach took a two-from-two record into the Tatlow and was heavily backed before having his colours lowered by Kept Under Wraps.
Team McCarthy has huge wraps on the son of Mach Three though, and if he can reproduce his Sydney form he will be very hard to beat.
Kept Under Wraps is back for another crack though and has drawn pole in his bid to beat Birdy Mach again.
The Brent Lilley trained son of Bettors Delight will be driven by in-form reinsman Greg Sugars and another victory would thrust him to the top of betting calculations for the Crown finals.
Gath-trained Burnaholeinmypocket will contest the same heat as Birdy Mach but is drawn seven and will find it tough, his trainer says.
“He’s a very quality racehorse but the way the numbers have fallen realistically there’s no way he can run in the first two,” Gath said.
“But we’re not too deterred because realistically the first five or six in the repechage can usually make their way into the final.”
The first of the three heats tomorrow will feature Vicbred Super Series champion Feeling Arty.
Trainer-driver Cameron Maggs is hoping Feeling Arty can bounce back after dropping out badly in the Tatlow last time out.
“I followed through OK last time but I just couldn’t get in unfortunately and when they run those times it makes it tough,” Maggs said.
“I was a bit disappointed. His recovery wasn’t real good on the night but he ate up afterwards and has worked good since.”
Maggs said although Feeling Arty led throughout his Vicbred campaign the horse had previously raced off the speed.
“I’ll probably have to follow through again … but the only time he’s led in his races are in those Vicbred races,” he said.
“He can sit in behind them and come with a run at the finish if he needs to race that way.”
