Goulburn preview: Tact to kick off a Dynamic day

Courier-Mail

21-05-2025

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A little bit of bad luck cost Tact from running a place in the MTC Guineas and a drop back in grade has the gelding is perfectly placed to atone.
Tact followed a handy first-up fourth at Newcastle with a narrow maiden win at Kembla before heading to Wagga last start where he finished a length-and-a-half fifth behind talented filly Dupli Kate in the three-year-old feature.
'His run was really good in the Wagga Guineas, said Dynamic Syndications' Adam Watt.
'He was slow away and just had to do a little too much work to get up outside the leader. They went very quick through the early and middle part of the race.
'He got a touch of interference late in the piece as well which wasn't ideal.
'He was good on the line and coming again.'
The Richard and Will Freedman-trained three-year-old can bounce back when he lines up in the Midway Class 1 Handicap (1600m).
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'We feel he has trained on nicely and I expect him to go to Goulburn and be very hard to beat,' Watt said.
'I'd be disappointed if he wasn't fighting out the finish.'
Watt admitted they may have made a mistake running Ready To Rocket first-up at Kembla on April 15 when she just peaked on her run in the straight.
She followed with a solid third behind all-the-way winner Let's Go Again in a Benchmark 64 on a Heavy 8 there second-up.
'She was brilliant on debut winning in good style and good time,' said Watt.
'We probably got a touch greedy first-up and went to the races too quick after two very good trials.
'She was probably still a gallop short and we probably should have waited another week or so.
'She ran well but just a bit short of where she needed to be.
'I thought she was terrific at Kembla the other day. Anna (Roper) rode her well and she hit the line full of gusto.'
She is now at her peak for the Class 1 Handicap where she drops back to 1000m where she has drawn barrier 1 with Zac Lloyd to ride the Ciaron Maher-trained mare.
'Coming back to Class 1 grade will really suit her on a big, open track like Goulburn,' he said.
'From a good draw third-up, I expect to see her posy up closer and I'm not surprised early market support for her.
'I feel she is well weighted as a four-year-old mare only carrying 57 kilos when a couple of three-year-olds have to give her weight off Wyong and Canberra Maiden wins.'
In the same race, Dynamic are represented by the Jason Deamer-trained Sagaponack.
The three-year-old took improvement from her first-up fourth at Taree and broke through for her maiden win with a handy performance at Port Macquarie second-up.
'We took her to Port Macquarie to get a win on the board. We thought it was important for her resume,' he said.
'Now that she has, she can well and truly to provincial level and make her presence felt.
'I think she is well and truly over the odds.'
Their final runner for the day is the aptly-named The Beast in the Maiden Handicap (1600m).
The Ciaron Maher-trained gelding has taken good improvement from his first-up third to Meille De Lune over 1500m at Newcastle and is suited over the mile.
'I can't believe he is the price he is,' he said
'He got through the heavy ground well enough first-up over 1500m which is no easy thing to do. He will appreciate going up 100m in trip.
'From a formline point of view, he would be a maiden for too much longer and I can certainly see him breaking through this week.'
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Randwick trainer Michael Freedman is keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts for the Southern Tablelands before making a final decision if Twinkling Star and Gorbachev make the trip to Goulburn.
Freedman certainly doesn't want heavy ground for the pair and admitted they were 50/50 of making the trip south.
'Both my horses need a reasonably dry track and I wouldn't send them if it was going to be much worse than that,' said Michael Freedman.
Twinkling Star was returning from a let-up at Wyong on May 8 and showed a distinct dislike for the wet ground.
After racing behind the leader, the daughter of Zoustar failed to run on in the straight and finish an eight length sixth behind Celtic Sin and Satin Sparkle.
'That was a bit of joke because it was clearly worse than a Soft 6 when the race was run but because they didn't down grade the track before the first, I couldn't scratch her and she had to run.
'It was a bit of a waste of time.'
Before her break, Twinkling Star battled away when a head second to Fast Track at Kembla before a third to Super Nui at Kembla.
'She's got decent enough ability to say she should be able to knock off a maiden,' he said.
'It's just a matter of trying to find a surface to suit which isn't easy at this time of year.'
Stablemate Gorbachev kicked off his preparation with a fighting nose win from Alpine Ski after coming from last in the field of five at Gosford on March 15.
He then stepped up to a Benchmark 64 at Wyong a month later where he battled away for a length sixth to Puerto Banus.
'I think the track that day was pretty soft under foot which he wasn't entirely happy on.
'He is another one we have trying to dodge the wet tracks and find a dry surface for him.'
Aside from the prospective wet weather, Gorbachev looks very well placed in the Class 1 Handicap (1300m).
'It's a shame about the weather because this certainly does look a nice race for him,' he said.
'I think the 1300 metre Class 1 suits him well. At that level, with the right on the right surface, he would a decent chance.'