Tony McEvoy has the Oakleigh Plate in the back of his mind for Pocket Rockets but admits the sprinter needs to earn his chance with a strong showing in the Listed Kensington Stakes.
Pocket Rockets returns from a spell in Saturday’s Kensington Stakes (1000m) at Flemington chasing a first stakes win.
The six-year-old is second favourite behind the lightly-raced Kaiser Sun and McEvoy will use the race as a guide to whether Pocket Rockets is capable of stepping up to the Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield next month.
“He would need to improve to be up to that (Oakleigh Plate) but you’ve got to have goals and I thought if he ran really well on Saturday then the Oakleigh Plate would be a race that would interest me,” McEvoy said.
“He’s a horse that races on-pace on the back of a high pace, and that’s how the Oakleigh Plate is run.”
Pocket Rockets has won eight of his 32 starts in a career which has included two years racing in Hong Kong trained by John Size before joining McEvoy’s team early last year.
McEvoy has been impressed with how Pocket Rockets has been preparing for his return.
The six-year-old hasn’t started since finishing 10th in the Listed Wylie Handicap (1100m) in Adelaide in September while his most recent win was in a benchmark race at the same course and distance as the Kensington Stakes in August.
“All his work leading into this has been excellent,” McEvoy said.
“He is suggesting to me that he’s come back as good as ever. He had a trial in Adelaide and trialled really nicely and he’s come on from the trial.
“So I’m looking forward to it, and his record down the straight is really good.”
Kaiser Sun, winner of two from two over 1000m at Flemington this campaign ahead of his first stakes test on Saturday, was at $3.20 with TAB fixed odds on Thursday ahead of Pocket Rockets at $5 and Don’t Get Excited at $5.50.
First Command has attracted support as he bids to win the race for the third year in a row.
The Anthony Freedman-trained sprinter, who’ll carry topweight of 60kg in his first start since last February, opened at $11 on Wednesday but has tightened to $7.
