Kosciuszko shelved as Music Time takes aim at Golden Rose

For Canberra based trainer Gratz Vella, three-year-old gelding Music Time has already provided the biggest thrill of his long training career.

In his first campaign, the son of All Too Hard won the Group 3 Black Opal Stakes (1200m), Canberra’s premier two-year-old event, and backed up that form with a tough third in the country’s premier juvenile contest, the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m).

Now Vella has his sights set on the top three-year-old races in Sydney with Music Time set to resume in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Music Time was given a good hitout to finish second in his only trial over 1040m on August 14th and Vella is confident that was sufficient to have him forward enough to run well on Saturday.

“I said to Tommy Berry before his trial ‘he hasn’t had too much, a couple of nice gallops and one jump out, just go easy with him today and it’s only going to benefit him,” Vella said.

“And he come back in and said ‘Gratz, this horse is a lot more forward that what you think he is.’

“He’s come on very well from his two-year-old season, especially since that barrier trial. He had a good gallop Tuesday morning with one of my senior horses and matched strides with him, the jockey came in and said how good he was.”

Having initially entertained the idea of targeting The Kosciuszko (1200m) for country-trained horses, a call to the Racing New South Wales Handicapper has caused Vella to aim even higher and allow Music Time his chance to head down a path to the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).

“I rang up the handicapper and I asked him about the Kosciuszko and for a three-year-old, he’d be carrying 60 kilos,” Vella said.

“So I think that’s out of our picture. But I think if he goes well this weekend, by all means, we’ll just keep heading for the three-year-old races.

“Who’s to say he can’t make it in a Golden Rose, because the horse’s he’s racing this weekend were mainly in the Golden Slipper and he didn’t finish too far away from the winner.”

Music Time, who will be partnered by Kerrin Mcevoy, is a $15 chance for Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes with Golden Slipper winner Guest House favourite at $2.80.