Catalyst on a Golden Sydney spring path

Monday 3 August 2020, 12:59pm

Top New Zealander Catalyst is being readied for a Sydney spring campaign which could encompass starts in two of the carnival's richest races.

Trainer Clayton Chipperfield will target Catalyst at the $7.5 million Golden Eagle and says The Everest is also on the table if Catalyst's early season form catches the attention of race slot holders.

A Group One winner in New Zealand, Catalyst was narrowly denied by Alligator Blood at his Australian debut in the C S Hayes Stakes in Melbourne in February.

He was unable to replicate that effort when unplaced in the Australian Guineas but was later found to have an issue that cut short his autumn preparation.

Chipperfield said the colt felt stronger this time around and appeared to have switched on mentally.

He is set to step out in a New Zealand barrier trial on August 12 and has been pencilled in to resume in The Shorts at Randwick in September.

The Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick on October 10, a lead up to the Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill three weeks later, is also on his spring agenda.

Catalyst's wins have been over journeys up to 1600m but Chipperfield expects a sprint trip to pose no issues if an Everest start becomes a serious option.

"In between the Silver Eagle and the Golden Eagle is The Everest, so if he can get a slot in that, that is possibly on the cards as well," Chipperfield told the NZ Racing Desk.

"The way he won his 1200 metre and 1400 metre races here, I don't think the 1200 metres of The Everest, relatively early on in his prep, would be too much of an issue."

The $15 million The Everest (1200m) is at Randwick on October 17.

– 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 »