THE application of blinkers for the first time and a light weight are expected to enhance the chances of quality sprinter Valiant Warrior winning tonight’s $100,000 Kevin Sharkie Newmarket handicap over 1200m at the UBET Racing Centre in Launceston.
Valiant Warrior has finished out of the money at his past two starts in Tasmania but after his last start failure in Launceston jockey Anthony Darmanin urged connections to consider putting a set of blinkers on the courageous son of West Quest.
Trainer Adam Trinder was waiting as long as he could before reverting to blinkers to switch his talented sprinter on but confirmed at the Longford trials yesterday that the time had come.
Valiant Warrior was sensational at two and three but he has taken longer to come to hand this time in.
He ventured interstate and won in at Moonee Valley after a game effort at Flemington but after he failed to run on at his latest outing in Victoria he was brought home to be prepared for tonight’s big race.
“This is the horse’s last run this time in. He’s off to the paddock after night, whatever the outcome,” Trinder said.
Tonight’s race boasts a brilliant line-up including last year’s winner Hellova Street who comes off a last-start win in the Goodwood Handicap in Hobart carrying 61 kilograms.
But he drops to 57.5kg tonight and that is a modest weight for the Scott Brunton-trained gelding.
The favourite Geegees Doublejay is also in with a light weight (55kg) and married with his emphatic last-start win over 1100m it has encouraged bookmakers to install the Stuart Gandy-trained gelding the $2.60 favourite ahead of last season’s star three-year-old Admiral that has been burdened with 59 kilograms and a wide gate in what will be his first start since finishing fifth in the Australian Guineas at Flemington in early March.
His trainer Barry Campbell admits the gelding is vulnerable tonight.
“Admiral has a lot of things against him tonight, in particular the weight because he’s only ever raced in open company twice for a win and he was beaten in the other,” Campbell said.
“But I know one thing for sure and that is if he wins tonight I don’t know how they are going to beat him in the other races I have planned for him,” he said.