Punters and rivals are not the only ones surprised by Self Assured’s charge to the top.
A maiden in May and a G1 winner in July he has even surprised Mark Purdon.
“Probably as much the way he has handled the racing as anything else. I mean we knew he was good. But the way he has done it has been an eye opener. When the other horse put half a length on him in the back and I wasn’t really wanting to get into a fight for it at that stage he just came back to me as I wanted. They were running 26 second quarters and there was still a way to go. A lot of inexperienced horses would have wanted to pull in that situation. And earlier when Lochinvar Art, who is a smart pacer and went a big race,had a go with the whip cracking it didn’t faze him. He is a very very good horse”
“I had decided to go to the front and stay there because if I had to sit parked it was going to be a big ask even for him. Once I pulled the ear plugs he found another gear”
All of which has Mark thinking about likely tasks for him next season.
“He should be back racing in the spring, maybe around October. He will have some tests on the way home at Matamata though they should be pretty clear and just a precaution and then we will give him about four weeks up there on the water walker as we have done with others. So he won’t be out of work altogether at all."
“We will probably be aiming at the Cup meeting and I might throw in a nom for the Inter Dominions and see what develops”
Mark, who posted his 182nd G1 winning drive on Saturday, said Princess Tiffany and Jesse Duke will proceed to Melbourne as planned but an assessment of Princess Tiffany will be made there.
“She has come through the race ok, just a little tender and whether she races in the Breeders Crown will be finally decided later in the week. She went a terrific race really on that time and from where she had to come from the draw”
Courtesy of All Stars Stables
http://www.allstarsracingstables.com/