Photo: Chanelle Lawson
Cambridge trainer Kyle Marshall will attempt to take out his own race when he lines-up debutant Fleeting Major in the Marshall Racing Stables Mobile Pace (2200m) at Cambridge on Thursday.
Marshall is heading into the race with reserved expectations after drawing the outside of the second row with the three-year-old gelding.
“I quite like the horse, but drawing 12 is not ideal,” he said. “I expect him to go a good race, but he will need luck from there.
“If we end up out the back it is going to be hard to be in the race. But it’s probably an ideal draw for his first run, it will give him a bit of experience.”
The son of Art Major had a month spell after qualifying back in August and Marshall believes he has benefited a lot from the break.
“He was a bit immature and a bit green, so I just turned him out for a month after he qualified and he has come back a bit stronger,” Marshall said.
“He is going to keep getting stronger in the next six months.”
Later on the card, Marshall is looking forward to lining up Lady Be Good and Lukyanova in the Black Dog Furniture Handicap Trot (2200m).
Both mares will head into the race off the back of unplaced performances at Alexandra Park, but Marshall said punters can rule a line through Lady Be Good’s last start result.
“They have both been working well,” he said. “Lady Be Good pulled a flat tyre from the start of the race at Auckland last start, so you have just got to discard that run. I expect her to go quite well on Thursday.”
Marshall also expects a bold showing from Lukyanova who has benefited from training under saddle in preparation for monte trot assignments.
“Back to Cambridge over 2200m, she should go well too,” Marshall said.
“Luke Whittaker is on her because he has been riding her and if she wins it is penalty free with a junior on her,” he said.
While Marshall would like to test her in a monte, but said she is now thriving in the cart on raceday with the added variation to her training.
“With riding her, she is actually racing well now, so I am not too worried about lining her up in a monte,” he said.
Marshall will also take the reins behind the Rex Peni-trained McDaknife, who will be having his first-up run in the JLN Builders Mobile Pace (2200m).
The seven-year-old gelding resumed with an unplaced run in a 2200m workout at Cambridge last month and Marshall believes he will take plenty of improvement out of his run on Thursday.
“He’s had one trial back and they were quite happy with him,” Marshall said. “He gets a nice draw and he can be right in that race, but I am sure he will take improvement out of it.”
Marshall is hoping for strong runs from all four runners on Thursday, but has labelled Lady Be Good as his best winning chance of the meeting. – Cambridge Raceway
