Riziz out to bounce back in Monash Stakes

Friday 4 July 2014, 4:16pm

Adelaide trainer Ken Sweeney has been biding his time with Group One-placed sprinter Riziz, waiting for Saturday's Group Three Sir John Monash Stakes.

Riziz, third in the Group One Goodwood in Adelaide two starts ago, has not raced for six weeks since his failure with 60kg in the Listed Straight Six at Flemington.

The five-year-old, a five-time Listed winner, was kept up to the mark for Saturday's Caulfield race with a trial win at Morphettville.

And he has been a firmer in TAB betting, opening at $8 on Wednesday before tightening to $5.

"He's just been ticking over waiting for this race," Sweeney said.

"He gets too much weight in handicaps."

Riziz, who Sweeney says is not top class but "a good useful horse" will take on the likes of emerging sprinter Lord Of The Sky, fellow Group One-placegetter Le Bonsir and noted first-up performer African Pulse in the nine-horse field.

Caulfield is rated in the slow range and that does not concern Sweeney.

"He likes the sting out of the track, that's why he's been hanging around. When the tracks are damp it suits him," he said.

Chris Symons, who has ridden Riziz his past two starts, retains the ride.

Adelaide jockey Clare Lindop, who is on the comeback trail from injuries sustained in a race fall in March, was aboard in the gelding's recent trial and in trackwork on Tuesday.

"I can only go on what Clare said and she just said it (his trial) was very good. He worked well again on Tuesday, according to her," the trainer said.

The Bletchingly Stakes three weeks after the Monash is another Melbourne winter target for Riziz should he perform well on Saturday.

"None of these races are easy to win, but he is fit and well and ready to go into it," Sweeney said.

Riziz has won a Listed race in Melbourne during the past two winters - claiming the Creswick Stakes in 2012 and the All Victorian Sprint Series Final last year.

Three-year-old Lord Of The Sky, chasing his first win in stakes company, is the $2.30 favourite having won four of his seven starts.

– 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 »