DEVASTATED.
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That is the word that Anthony Frisby used to describe the Inter Dominion fortunes of Our Uncle Sam, but that has not impacted his opinion of the stable star.
He still has faith that when he gets in the gig on Saturday night to drive Our Uncle Sam in the Group 2 Shepparton Gold Cup (2,690 metres) for his Bathurst father-trainer Chris Frisby, he has a genuine shot at winning.
He is determined to prove that the Sportswriter x Rooftop Fairy gelding can still match it with the best horses in Australasia and that his missing the Inter Dominion final in New Zealand was an anomaly.
"You just knew that Sam wasn't that horse, he's a much better horse than that showed, it was very disappointing. I can't put my finger on what it was," Frisby said of that campaign.
"It was pretty devastating, but you look at most of the Australian horses and they didn't run up to their best expectations. I don't know if it was the change in the weather, the climate, they just didn't seem to go.
"Steve's [Turnbull] two didn't go either. Conviction, he went good [Tuesday] at Menangle, he went 1:50.2, but in New Zealand he went a bit like Sam. Then Steve had Atomic Red, his good horse, he probably went terrible considering before he went to New Zealand he went 1:49 something at Menangle."
Since returning from New Zealand, Our Uncle Sam has notched up a handy second in the Group 2 Shirley Turnbull Memorial (2,709m). He came from sixth on the bell to finish runner-up behind Alta Orlando.
Second-up on Saturday night he should strip fitter as he looks to improve on his third placing in last year's $60,000 Shepparton Cup.
While the barrier draw - Our Uncle Sam will go from the outside of the front row - is something Frisby says offers "not a favour at all", the distance does suit the gelding.
"We went down there last year and he went massive, he just didn't have much luck, so we'll see if he can improve this year," Frisby said.
"It's a bit hard to say what we'll do, we'll just see how it goes out of the gate. Just play it by ear really, see how it feels. I think we'll have to roll forward from there and try and get somewhat of a position early and go from there.
"Over the distance he's only got to have a bit of luck sitting on another horse or leading, he could really shake them up and go very well.
"He looks pretty good, when we we bring him back home he was low on his weights, but we just let him eat up and now he's starting to look a million dollars. His coat has really picked I couldn't be happier with him."
There are plenty of threats within the field for Our Uncle Sam.
Lochinvar Art, who won last Sunday's Cobram Cup for David Moran, has drawn barrier one while Emma Stewart's Phoenix Prince has already taken out the Geelong and Cranbourne Gold Cups plus placed in the Stawell and Bendigo Cups this season.
The Shepparton Gold Cup is set to go at 9.35pm on Saturday night.
