Two of South Australia’s major Group 1 contenders have taken significant steps towards their spring carnival campaigns.
Dalasan had a gallop at Morphettville between races on the weekend while dual Group 1 winner Behemoth ramped up his program with a trial win a Balaklava on Monday morning.
And the pair are poised for showdown in the $127,250 Group 3 Spring Stakes over 1200m at Morphettville on August 14.
Behemoth defeated a fast-finishing Dalasan to win last year’s edition before going to Melbourne and winning the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield his next start and backing that up to win the Sir Rupert Clarke at Caulfield three weeks later.
Trainer David Jolly said Behemoth was ticking along as good as he could ask given the inability to get some serious grass gallops into the horse due to the recent wet weather in South Australia.
“He pulled up pretty well after the trial,’’ Jolly said.
“I was a bit worried about the ground, but he got through it OK and has recovered well.
“He’s done minimal track work due to the weather. He’ll do a bit of beach work and have a gallop between now and the Spring Stakes, but hopefully given the short space between the Goodwood and his return, he might be holding a good residual fitness base.
“We saw it on Saturday with Beau Rossa, also coming back from the Goodwood, horses who haven’t had a long time off, that can actually set them up pretty well for when they return,’’ he said.
Jolly said Behemoth would follow the same schedule he took to consecutive Group 1 wins at Caulfield last year.
“He’ll follow the same path,’’ Jolly said.
“That’s the plan at this stage, we’ll just keep an eye on how he’s tracking but those two races are his immediate targets,’’ he said.
Dalasan was placed in the Leon Macdonald Stakes following his Spring Stakes return, then going to Melbourne and running fifth in the Makybe Diva Stakes behind Fierce Impact before he was narrowly beaten in fourth spot by Verry Elleegant in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes.
The stable then went to the Caulfield Cup before running the Mackinnon Stakes but co-trainer Andrew Gluyas said they would take a different route in 2021
“It’s the same kick off for him this year,’’ Gluyas said.
“He’ll run in the Spring Stakes and then the Leon Macdonald (Stakes), we’ll work it from there, but the Makybe Diva is the likely next outing for him,’’ he said.
And they identified the Cox Plate as their target race following two game Sydney runs in the autumn where he was placed behind Cascadian in the Group 1 Doncaster and beaten less than a length behind Addeybb in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“Following the Sydney campaign we see him as that middle distance horse,’’ Gluyas said.
“His Doncaster run was outstanding and he wasn’t far away form them at weight-for-age (in the Queen Elizabeth).
“We came out of that with confidence and true hope,’’ he said.
Gluyas said the horse had furnished again heading into his five-year-old season where they hope he secure that prized win at the elite level.
“He’s probably that bit stronger,’’ Gluyas said.
“Hopefully he can snaffle a Group 1, he’s grown again, there is no doubt about that. He’s stronger and carrying more weight than he has previously,’’ he said.
