HE narrowly missed out on clinching the 2017 Caulfield Cup last week, but this Friday Canberra trainer Nick Olive will be chasing success at Bathurst’s Tyers Park.
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Olive has nominated a five-year-old gelding called Lock The Doors for the Bathurst RSL Club Benchmark 65 Handicap (1,100 metres), a race which will be the highlight of the Bathurst Thoroughbred Racing (BTR) meeting.
One of Lock The Doors’ four career wins thus far came at Bathurst in 2015 over the same distance, and BTR general manager Michelle Tarpenning is delighted at the prospect of his return.
“We do have very strong nominations for the meeting and we are very excited to have a Nick Olive runner coming here, Lock The Doors,” she said.
“It’s absolutely fantastic for us to have one of his runners here after his second in the Caulfield Cup - he just got pipped at the post – it’s a really good thing.
“The track is in good condition too, it should be a 4 on the day. After that rain we had last Friday it’s just looking fantastic and it will be a fair racing surface.”
Last Saturday Olive watched on as his Caulfield Cup chance Single Gaze took the lead entering the straight. But an inside run saw Boom Time win the $3 million Group One feature.
Though Bathurst’s Benchmark 65 on Friday does not carry as much prestige as the Caulfield Cup or such a big purse, it is shaping up to be just as exciting.
Lock The Doors will be looking to improve on a third placing at Albury in his last start when second up following a 22-week spell.
Tarpenning feels that amongst the 18 nominated runners there is at least one from a Bathurst stable which shapes as a threat to Olive’s chance.
“Dean [Mirfin’s] Prince Planet, he won his last start in Orange and he’ll be a real chance to win. He is a really strong horse and probably one of the best in Dean’s stable at the moment,” she said.
“I think he’s going to be the main rival to Lock The Doors, it will be a really interesting race to watch. It is great to have such a strong contender from one of our trainers in the Benchmark 65.”
Acceptances for the meeting must be declared by 9am Wednesday.