The lightly-tried Harbour Views, who has won six of his 11 starts, will face a crucial test in the G1 Hyland Race Colours Underwood S., in which trainer Matthew Williams will also be represented by Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}).
The G1 Cox Plate is the dream assignment for Harbour Views and he will need to be at the very top of his game at Caulfield to keep hopes alive for a crack at The Valley feature.
“He is very well and I would think he would have to win to be any hope of getting a run in the Cox Plate. If he does win that’s where we would head, otherwise he will probably head to the G1 Caulfield S.,” Williams said.
“We would then work out after that whether he would go to the G1 Mackinnon S. or possibly back off him and Perth is always an option – the G1 Railway S. and the G1 Kingston Town are two $1 million races for him.
“He’s at the crossroads and he really needs to stand up on Saturday if he is going to race at the elite level here or try to pick a slightly softer path to get the best results. Western Australia could be a good option in that respect.”
“He’s at the crossroads and he really needs to stand up on Saturday if he is going to race at the elite level here or try to pick a slightly softer path to get the best results.” – Matthew Williams
Harbour Views performed well when resuming in the G2 Feehan S. to finish third behind Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}).
“He was very forward for the mile first-up so I’m not thinking there is a lot of improvement, there might be a length or two,” Williams said.
“If he had of been one off the fence in the run he would have been able to get rolling earlier and build a bit more momentum. He was back on the fence and waiting for opportunities to come.”
Williams believes the Underwood may play out a lot better for his charge.
“Looking at the race this Saturday, it looks like Gailo Chop will probably go forward and lead and Trap For Fools sits outside of him. Harbour Views might be able to slot in one out and one back and get the run of the race.
“The distance is perfect for him and there’s a bit of rain about, that’s a plus for him as he likes a bit of softness in the ground.”
While happy with the conditions of Harbour Views, Williams is wary of the favourite.
“There’s a few boxes ticked there for him and the only box that’s not is that Russian Camelot one. You never know what can happen though,” he said.
Satisfactory return
Gailo Chop finished out of the money when kicking off his spring preparation in the G1 Makybe Diva S., as he did 12 months ago, but satisfied Williams with his effort.
“I was happier this year with him in the Makybe, more so than last year, and I’m pretty happy with him. The mile was unsuitable and on Saturday there doesn’t look like there will be too much pressure on him up front,” he said.
Gailo Chop (Fr)
“That will work out well and he just needs to be able to run the race to suit him and roll along. He improved a lot going from his first-up run in the Makybe and then ran really well for third in the Underwood.
“I think he can run a cheeky race on Saturday. There’s probably three or four you would put on top of him, but he might just surprise a few.”
“There’s probably three or four you would put on top of him, but he might just surprise a few.” – Matthew Williams
Williams will lock in a plan for Gailo Chop after his next two appearances.
“We’re just going race by race. Obviously, he’s an older horse now and we’ll see how it unfolds for him,” he said.
“He is very sound and if he can run well in the Underwood and the Caulfield S. there’s an option to possibly go back to Perth. We may send him over for both races.”
A three-time Group 1 winner, Gailo Chop bypassed the G1 Railway S. last year before finishing runner-up in the G1 Kingstown Town Classic S.
Caulfield, G1 Hyland Race Colours Underwood S., $750,000, 1800m
Russian Camelot (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) turned in a huge run when resuming in the G1 Makybe Diva S. He was trapped wide all the way and fought on gallantly to finish runner-up and can go one better in this.
Arcadia Queen (Pierro) suffered a set-back before getting home strongly for second in the G2 Let’s Elope S. and looks a strong chance. The distance will also help her cause.
Arcadia Queen
Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}) was a strong-first-up winner of the G2 Feehan S. and there’s good reason to think he will be all the better for that outing as well.
The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) boasts a similar profile following his fresh success at Flemington while Harbour Views (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) was third in the Feehan and a step up in trip looks ideal.
Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) was doing his best work late when he finished runner-up in the G1 Memsie S. and the winner Behemoth (All Too Hard) has since added the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke to his record so the form is outstanding.
