Group 1 winner Profondo hogs the headlines, but trainer Richard Litt is happy with the trio of horses he is taking to Rosehill on Golden Slipper day, including his stable star.
The valuable colt will be out to get his autumn back on track when he takes on top three-year-olds Anamoe and Converge in Saturday’s Rosehill Guineas (2000m) after enduring a torrid run when unplaced in the Australian Guineas in Melbourne.
Litt has already put the experience behind him and says all the signs point to Profondo rebounding, just as former stablemate Castelvecchio did in the corresponding race two years ago when he won it after coming off a midfield effort in the Randwick Guineas.
“Hugh Bowman has had a couple of rides on the horse and he’s happy with him and we’re happy with him at home,” Litt said of Profondo.
“We’re not too worried about the competition on Saturday, it is what it is. They’re all good horses and they’re all hard to beat.
“We’re hoping to get the driest possible track for the horse because that’s what we think he prefers.”
Profondo holds nominations for the ATC Australian Derby (2400m) on April 2 and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) a week later.
While Litt is loathe to think too far ahead, he doesn’t view the Guineas as a fork in the road and sees no reason Profondo couldn’t progress to both races.
“I’d love to think he could run in a Derby and a Queen Elizabeth,” Litt said.
“But we can’t think that far ahead. We really need to get through Saturday, concentrate on that and then see how we go moving forward.”
While Profondo is untested on heavy ground, stablemate and Sydney Cup hopeful South Pacific relishes rain-affected tracks and Litt is expecting him to run a cheeky race in the Manion Cup (2400m).
“We are going to ride him a bit more positive on Saturday hopefully,” Litt said.
“He is a lovely horse and he’s got the ability to win a race like this.”
Last-start Newcastle winner Catapult rounds out Litt’s squad in the Midway Handicap (1500m) and while the gelding hasn’t managed to snare the Saturday staple yet, the trainer remains ever-hopeful.
“He’s flying but he’s hard to catch,” Litt said.
“He has sort of let us down in the Midways. I thought he was going to be a real Midway horse, but he hasn’t won one and we’ve had a fair crack at them.
“He’s got Willie Pike on Saturday. They say he’s a wizard, so we will see.”