ASTUTE thoroughbred trainer John Blacker has always had a decent opinion of his lightly raced five-year-old Powercharged and after his win in Launceston last Wednesday night he has decided to throw him in at the deep end.
Powercharged showed Blacker enough as a young horse when he was training in Victoria that he started to believe he might develop into a quality sprinter-miler that might one day measure up to weight-for-age class.
But the gelded son of Magnus encountered a few set-backs along the way and most of them were self-inflicted.
He became injury prone but in time he matured and one thing he never lost was his galloping ability.
Last Wednesday night Powercharged lived up to expectations and delivered a workmanlike effort to score an impressive win in a benchmark 72 handicap over 1400 metres.
Apprentice Boris Thornton had the gelding settled just off the speed and after a check he drifted to fifth but within striking distance of the leaders turning for home.
When Thornton asked for the big effort the flashy chestnut slipped into another gear and hit the line clear of Stella Etoile with Lady Jane third.
“The horse has run really god times each time he has run this time in and while it might be shooting a bit high I am keen to send him around in the Thomas Lyons at weight-for-age over 1400m in Hobart on Cup Day,” Blacker said.
“We might be taking on a big task especially as it will be his first time in Hobart but I he does get a bit lost there we come back to Launceston and tackle the George Adams (1600m wfa) and that will be very suitable”
“I’ve always had a big opinion of the horse but it’s just taken him a while to come to terms with the racing caper but he’s 100 per sound at the minute and if he stays that way we will proceed as planned,” he said.
By Peter Staples.