RNSW_Oct 21_Col_W

www.racingnsw.com.au SPRING CARNIVAL 4 On the back of his Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) win, where he defeated The Inferno who was also snapped up for the Everest, Snowden said Wild Ruler is taking his place in the Everest at the perfect time. A year ago, after he won the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes, the horse’s connections elected to knock back an Everest invite. “He’s been getting better and better each time he’s come in,” Snowden said. “This could be his time now he’s four and he’s got the experience of racing at a good level. “He’s a seasoned player and he showed plenty of grit in the Moir. I’m confident he won’t just be a number; he’ll be a leading contender. Meanwhile, James Harron is no stranger to making the right move at the right time in the TAB Everest and he’s confident he has chosen wisely in locking in former Singapore star The Inferno as his slot’s representative in this month’s $15m sprint classic. On the back of the five-year-old’s eye-catching second in the Moir Stakes, Harron wasted no time in confirming a deal with trainer Cliff Brown and owner Glenn Whittenbury. “I just think he brings something new to the race,” Harron said. “He’s been set for the race so he’s going to be fit and hopefully peaking at his fourth start. The 1200m at a big track like Randwick is going to be right up his alley. “I think there are a lot of indicators to say he could have a real peak rating for the race.” Harron won the inaugural TAB Everest, selecting Redzel on the back of a win in The Shorts a month out from the race. The Inferno has now had 12 starts for nine wins and two seconds and in Singapore and he only tasted defeat once winning eight races up to 1600m. “I just love that they’ve been 100 per cent targeting this race, that’s such an important thing.” T rainers have embraced the new Four Pillars concept with 212 nominations for the inaugural $700,000 feature on this month’s Golden Eagle program (30th October). One of those is Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan who has entered six horses in the hope of attracting a slot winner to select at least one to represent her in the race restricted to Midway eligible horses. The Four Pillars works like The Kosciuszko and the 18 slot winners were drawn as a second chance prize following the draw for the $1.3m country feature, the winners then select a horse to run in the race over 1500m at Rosehill and agree to a split of prizemoney with the horse’s connections. Buchanan said the Four Pillars is an exciting addition to the calendar and an opportunity for a stable like hers to build its profile at a time when the sporting focus is on racing. “It can showcase our stable in a feature race, obviously the prizemoney is awesome, during the spring carnival,” she said. “It’s great for our owners, our horses, for our profile. I’ve just got to get one in. I think I’ve got a few contenders there. It’s new so it’ll be interesting to see what appeals to slot holders. “The whole negotiation side of it is great and it’s a whole other element to racing that is new to me and it’s fun.” The Four Pillars will be run as a Benchmark 68 race and Buchanan said the challenge for trainers and slot winners is to zero in on the horse that’s best suited either at the weights or where they are at in their preparation. Of her six entries Buchanan is a big fan of lightly raced filly Fumiko but she feels each of her nominations have their own appealing qualities. “I think she’s a filly on the up, she’s a three-year-old and she’s going to get 5kg weight relief because of that alone,” she said. “It depends where your horses are at and she’s just getting into her preparation at exactly the right time to be peaking for a race like that. If I was a slot holder I’d be grabbing her with both hands. “And Big Surprise has won three of his last seven starts and placed three times so where are you going to find a Benchmark 66 horse like that?” While slot winners can lock in their horse at any time the field isn’t confirmed until final acceptances are taken on October 27. – Ray Hickson HUGE NOMS FOR FOUR PILLARS Big Surprise (Hugh Bowman) wins with authority at Gosford. The horse is one of six entries in the Four Pillars for trainer Kristen Buchanan »