Mark Minervini is assured his unbeaten three-year-old Quick Tempo is more than capable of adding to his picket fence on Saturday at Randwick.
Newcastle trainer Mark Minervini will head to Randwick on Saturday with two exciting chances in unbeaten three-year-old Quick Tempo and two-year-old debutant Fire And Ice.
Yet to taste defeat after five career starts, the son of Rubick heads into Saturday looking to add to his winning sequence but will face his toughest assignment to date when stepping out in the three-year-old Benchmark (BM) 72 over 1100m.
With a faultless start to his young career, the gelding proved his versatility in his latest addition to the picket fence, when bursting through late to record his first victory away from a rain affected surface.
Having no more than one or two runs in between freshen ups, Minervini deems he has found the right approach for his talented youngster and believes there are plenty of options for his three-year-old moving forward.
“I knew he wasn’t just a wet tracker before he ran at Newcastle. I think he was just winning on those Heavy tracks because he had too much class on them,” Minervini said.
“I just thought he would appreciate this approach. He’s a very explosive sort of horse and I just want to keep the enthusiasm in him.
“He’s a really exciting type, he’s bouncing out of his skin and he’s ready to go on Saturday.
“There’s a host of decent races for him during the Championships, like the Arrowfield Sprint (1200m), maybe even the Brisbane Winter Carnival. We’ve got plenty of options for him.”
The other of Minervini’s runners is unraced two-year-old Fire And Ice, who will step out on debut over 1000m in the 2YO Handicap.
Having trialled up nicely in readiness – placing at Wyong before an all the way win at Warwick Farm, Minervini is hopeful the colt is able to replicate his performances come race day.
“He’s always shown good ability to us; he’s a very natural running two-year-old,” Minervini said.
“He was down to run a fortnight ago, but he just injured his hoof a little bit.
“He’s 100% now and he’s eligible for the Inglis Millennium (1100m) which is two weeks from Saturday.
“We are going there (Randwick) hoping he can pick up some prize money and gain a start in the Millennium on the 5th of February.”
Apprentice jockey Tom Sherry secures the booking for both of Minervini’s chances on Saturday.