Veladero back to best for Eagle Farm bid

Wednesday 30 January 2019, 12:20pm

A strong trial win indicates gelding Veladero is ready to return to something like the form which had him rated a top-flight three-year-old.

The now five-year-old will be aiming to win his first race since April when he runs in the TAB Handicap (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Veladero was sent for a spell after finishing last at Doomben on an unsuitable wet track in October.

He has been back in trainer Chris Waller's Gold Coast stable for two months and has had two barrier trials including a win over the promising Linlithgow at his most recent.

Waller's Queensland manager Paul Shailer has been pleased with Veladero this preparation.

"His first trial was solid and the next one really good. His work has also been strong so maybe he is getting back to his best," Shailer said.

"On his three-year-old form he is obviously pretty smart on his day."

Veladero won three races in a row in the spring of 2016 including the Group Three Gloaming Stakes.

He then ran fourth in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes and also fourth in the Group Two AAMI Vase.

Veladero's autumn-winter campaign as a three-year-included minor placings in stakes races the Carbine Club Stakes, Frank Packer Plate and Rough Habit Plate.

A series of minor setbacks has resulted in Veladero winning only once as an older horse, at Warwick Farm last year.

Veladero, a $160,000 yearling, is raced by a Star Thoroughbreds syndicate and has already picked up $354,700 in prize money.

Shailer believes if Veladero can live up to his trial and work form he can win a lot more.

The stable's tough stayer Estikhraaj has been accepted for the Events @ BRC Handicap (1800m) but is not certain to start after finishing well back in a Doomben trial on Tuesday.

"His trial was just fair but the track was very hard so we will monitor him in the next few days," Shailer said.

– 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 »