Queensland’s spate of wet weather has prompted a change of plans for smart sprinter Our Kobison and Sydney racing is set to be the beneficiary.
Trainer Angela Davies had initially intended to run the gelding in the Magic Millions Falvelon (1200m) in Brisbane this weekend with a view to next month’s Magic Millions Sprint at the Gold Coast.
But with Eagle Farm in the heavy range and meteorologists predicting Queensland’s damp summer to persist, Davies has scrapped her original plan and decided to keep Our Kobison in Sydney given his preference for firm ground.
First stop will be the Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday ahead of a stakes race target on New Years’ Day.
“I had a discussion with the owners and said, ‘I think this weather is going to continue north so we’ll just stay here where we are’,” Davies said.
“He will go to the Canterbury Sprint, the Listed race on the first of January. That’s our goal.
“We missed the Razor Sharp (Handicap), he had a little bit of an elevated temperature, just enough that you don’t want to be running if they’re not right.
“We missed that one, which we really wanted to be in, but there was this race so we’ve done well to find another one just before the Canterbury Sprint.”
Our Kobison will carry 59kg after the two-kilo claim of in-form apprentice Molly Bourke, who last month celebrated her first stakes win aboard the Matthew Smith-trained Floating in the Listed ATC Cup (2000m) at Rosehill.
While the gelding can be headstrong, Davies is putting her faith in Bourke to help him settle.
“It’s still a little bit of a concern, but it is what it is. He needed the weight relief and she is riding really well,” she said.
“He will go forward so as long as he doesn’t overdo it.”
Our Kobison will be second-up at Randwick after beating all but Eagle Nest in the Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill last month on an unsuitable soft 7 track.