Redzel in winning form ahead of Lightning

Monday 5 February 2018, 1:28pm

Star sprinter Redzel has shown he is back in race mode with his win in a barrier trial at Rosehill in which champion Winx had a solid hit-out to finish midfield.

The 1000m-trial win was in contrast to Redzel's effort two weeks ago when he was given a soft tune-up to finish seventh of nine behind Trapeze Artist, Saturday's Expressway Stakes winner.

With his race day blinkers and race day jockey Kerrin McEvoy aboard, Redzel assumed the lead early and won the trial by three lengths from Group One-winning filly Alizee ahead of his attempt to add the Group One Lightning Stakes to his record.

A dual Group One winner of the Doomben 10,000 and Darley Classic at Flemington last year, Redzel also won the $10 million Everest at Randwick in the spring.

"It's what we wanted to see," co-trainer Peter Snowden said.

"His first trial two weeks ago was a soft trial and he needed a pipe-opener this morning.

"The race is 12 days away and as we know for Group Ones you need to be really prepared.

"It's 1000 metres down the straight at Flemington and you need to have them really wound up and that gallop was just perfect."

Snowden, who trains with his son Paul, said the 2018 version of Redzel could be even better than last year.

"To my eye he's just a touch better," he said.

"Maybe that's wishful thinking but what I saw this morning I think he's better.

"He's always been push button for the last 12 months.

"Before the trial he was like a pony, he was so relaxed.

"He saves everything for the races."

The Black Caviar Lightning pays tribute to the unbeaten champion who won the race three times in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Last year's winner Terravista, second to Redzel in the Darley Classic, will be an opponent again.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »