Kerry Parker isn’t sure Think It Over can get any better, but he admits the gelding probably doesn’t need to.
The six-year-old posted his third win from his past four starts with a dominant display in Saturday’s Craven Plate (2000m) at Randwick to put himself in line for a rich bonus if he can also claim the Rosehill Gold Cup in two weeks.
The horse has been a great advertisement for Parker’s small Kembla stable and while his previous two wins were by narrow margins, he was a convincing two-length victor on Saturday.
“I think we’ve reached the top (of him) now, which is pretty good,” Parker said.
“He showed what he could do last start when he really had to knuckle down and chase. Today, it was a pretty easy watch at the end of the day.
“He’s a more furnished racehorse now. He’s improved and he’s enjoying it as much as we are.”
Parker was on weather watch during the week when storms tipped the Randwick track into the heavy range.
But it had dried out to a soft surface come race day and Parker was hoping the rain continued to stay away ahead of his Rosehill Gold Cup bid.
Think It Over gave Nash Rawiller a double after he took out the opening race on Zoushack and the jockey made it a treble a race later aboard Warning in the St Leger Stakes (2600m).
Representing winning trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, who were in Melbourne, Michael Freedman said Warning had done well since arriving in Sydney and enjoyed the rain-affected conditions.
“They felt getting him up to that distance, and obviously a bit of give in the ground today where it wasn’t too firm, was much more to his liking,” Michael Freedman said.
“He’s a good, genuine stayer and I think the boys will be rapt with that.”
Warning ($6) finished strongly down the outside to defeat Luncies ($6) by a short head with Entente ($4 fav) another 2-1/2 lengths away.