ONE year on from winning the Group 3 Gold Chalice, Mat Rue’s Fouroeight is still ticking all the boxes for the Bathurst trainer-driver.
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The four-year-old lines up in Wednesday night’s Gold Crown Calcutta and Barrier Draw 20th March Pace (2,260 metres) in pursuit of a 16th top three finish from 21 starts.
Fouroeight will likely start as a heavy favourite for the race as his run towards the Breeders Challenge Four Year Old Colts and Geldings Final continues.
Rue’s runner burst onto the scene with the shock victory in last year’s Chalice, at odds of $75, and that result has set the tone for the rest of his career to date.
He narrowly missed a placing in last season’s Group 1 Breeders Challenge Three Year Old Colts and Geldings Final.
Rue said the Rock N Roll Heaven x Platinum Sign gelding has made the most of his limited starts since that effort last June.
“He’s been racing well over the last year. He finished fourth in the Breeders Challenge final. Since then he’s had three wins and all of them have been really good. He’s done all that’s been asked of him,” he said.
The sole blot on the record for Fouroeight after the final was a third at Menangle in January.
Even that performance was full of positives for Rue.
“He sat back in that race but they got home in 26, so it was almost mathematically impossible for him to catch them,” he said.
“His own time for that race though was incredible.”
On paper it will be hard for the other contenders in Wednesday’s race to throw down a challenge to Fouroeight.
Steve Turnbull’s gate one starter Cherry Mahoney would be the best candidate, boasting a Breeders Challenge Blue fourth placing and a start in last year’s Gold Bracelet Final.
Chris Frisby’s Alpha Styx also warrants discussion as a potential upset winner, given his recent winning mile rate of 1:54.2 at Bathurst – a new career best time.
Fouroeight’s proven flexibility in racing tactics – plus the longer distance – means the gate six start shouldn’t bother him.
This will be Fouroeight’s first start over the 2,000m mark since the Chalice.
“The distance doesn’t really bother him, as long as he doesn’t have to do most of the work in the race,” Rue said.
“The Four Year Old Breeders Challenge is the main aim this year. If he comes out of this race well then we’ll go down to Menangle with him again.”
Wednesday night’s eight race meeting gets underway from 6.02pm, with Fouroeight to start in the following race at 6.33pm.
