Randwick return for Fiorente

Thursday 25 April 2013, 4:57pm

Melbourne Cup runner-up Fiorente will be in uncharted territory when he resumes over a sprint trip at Randwick on Saturday.

His nine runs for English trainer Michael Stoute were over distances further than 1900 metres and his only Australian start for Gai Waterhouse was over the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup.

On face value, Fiorente should be outsprinted in what is shaping as a cracking renewal of the Group One All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

They were jockey Tommy Berry's thoughts too - until Waterhouse decided to work Fiorente in blinkers.

"I thought they'd probably be too sharp for him," Berry said.

"But Gai has put the blinkers on him a couple of times in his work and he ran the quickest last furlong of the morning on the course proper on Tuesday.

"He is definitely up to running well."

Fiorente, a $26 chance, hasn't raced since his Melbourne Cup effort but he has had two barrier trials to prepare for the All Aged.

He will be one of two runners for Waterhouse along with top mare More Joyous who narrowly holds sway in TAB fixed odds betting at $2.40, ahead of All Too Hard at $2.60.

More Joyous is chasing her first win this autumn after finding stablemate Pierro too slick first-up in the Canterbury Stakes then being badly held up for a run when fifth to Appearance in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes.

All Too Hard is also looking for a change of luck.

After returning with impressive wins over the older horses in the C F Orr and Futurity Stakes in February, he was a popular favourite for the Australian Guineas before a temperature forced his withdrawal on race morning.

Saturday will be his first start in more than two months but co-trainer Michael Hawkes says the colt has recovered well.

"It was unfortunate but....he did have the two runs in and he's still got the groundwork there," Hawkes said.

"He just had a freshen-up to get over his temperature but his bloods are all normal and they have been for a while."

– AAP

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