TRAINER Mick Burles remains supremely confident his stable star The Cleaner will run the Race of his life in the $1 million Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 1600m at Flemington today.
The Cleaner has not started since finishing ninth but only 3.5 lengths from the winner (Adelaide) in the W. S. Cox late over 2040m two weeks ago.
The horse has been preparing for this race at home at Longford where he finished off his prep with a sensational grass gallop on Tuesday.
Ï couldn’t be happier with the horse. Everything has gone to plan since his Cox Plate run and he goes into today’s race as good as he can be,” Burles said this morning as he walked The Cleaner around the track at Pine Lodge.
“We won’t be changing anything as far as riding tactics are concerned and if he is good enough on the day then so be it.”
Ï said early this week that if he finishes in the first four he’ll most likely to go to Perth (WA) for the Railway Stakes (Group 1 over 1600m on November 22) but I will not make any firm decision until after I see how the horse pulls up from this race,” he said.
Listen to what Burles had to say about The Cleaner early this morning (race day Saturday November 08).