Jason Warren is hoping a decision to save Awakenings for a race at Sandown is rewarded when the four-year-old chases his third-straight win since joining the trainer.
Awakenings came to Warren’s stable after doing his earlier racing for Mark Kavanagh and then Ciaron Maher.
The gelding got home by a short half-head in a 1400m-benchmark 58 at Geelong at his first start for Warren in May before winning by an even smaller margin over 1600m on the Pakenham synthetic track last start.
Awakenings, who is raced by Lawrence Eales, steps up in grade in Wednesday’s Le Pine Funerals Handicap (1600m) at Sandown but Warren believes he’s up to the task on rain-affected ground.
“I’ve just had him for the two runs and we placed him very well in moderate races to get the job done,” Warren said.
“It’s nice to get a couple of wins on the board for Lawrence Eales, who had so much success racing Shocking and Whobegotyou. So it’s a good owner to have.”
Whobegotyou won the 2008 Caulfield Guineas and Shocking won the 2009 Melbourne Cup for Eales and Kavanagh.
Warren scratched Awakenings from the CJ Office Choice Gippsland Middle Distance Series Final (1717m) at Sale on Sunday, believing Wednesday’s benchmark-70 was more suitable.
“I’m really happy with the horse,” Warren said.
“I was going to run him on Sunday but I thought the race at Sale was a touch stronger, and Matthew Allen wasn’t able to ride him.”
Allen has been aboard Awakening for his two wins this campaign and will ride him at Sandown.
“He’ll be very competitive,” Warren said.
“He handles the wet and he’s in really good order.”
Stablemate Been Scene also heads to Sandown for the mypunter.com Handicap (1300m) for fillies and mares after pleasing Warren with her last-start sixth in a benchmark-70 at a Mornington metropolitan meeting.
Before that the mare won back-to-back races at the provincials to start her campaign.
“She’s trained on well and I’m confident she’ll run a blinder again tomorrow,” he said.
