De Bergerac is already safely in the field for next month’s Santa Ana Lane Series Final, but the gelding will use this Saturday’s final qualifier to round out preparations for the Listed event.
The Grahame Begg-trained five-year-old will step out in the $150,000 open handicap over 1100 metres at Flemington.
It is the last heat before the $175,000 final, which is over 1200m, on the July 4 Finals Day card and Begg was reluctant to have De Bergerac go straight from the Listed Straight Six, in which he finished second on May 16, to the final.
“It was going to be six weeks between runs, so he’s got to go around next week,” he said.
“He loves the Flemington straight and this is his top-off run to go into the Santa Ana Lane two weeks later.
“He’s already qualified for that because he ran second in the other race (last start).”
De Bergerac beat home all bar Losesomewinmore in the Straight Six, when he was a heavily-backed $2.90 favourite.
That was his sixth top-three finish from nine starts up the Flemington straight, where he has won twice.
De Bergerac was kept up to the mark with a 900m trial on Caulfield’s Heath track last Thursday, beaten a length when third in the hitout won by Recuperato.
The son of Zoustar is one of three potential starters in Saturday’s open sprint for Begg, who has also entered his younger half-brother Royal Insignia, but will monitor the weather before committing to a start with the gelding who struggles to produce his best on wet tracks.
Royal Insignia and De Bergerac are both out of the Tobougg mare Yau Chin, who is also the dam of Begg’s Blue Diamond winner Written By.
That Widden Stud-based stallion is the sire of Begg’s other entry for Saturday’s open sprint, Samangu, who is a chance to have her first start since finishing second-last in the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 21.
