Sandown Cup winner Renew is the star of Archie Alexander’s fledgling stable and the trainer will aim him at another important staying feature.

The Group Two Adelaide Cup, like the Sandown Cup, is one of only a handful of 3200 metre races left on the Australian calendar and the March 9 feature is the target for Renew.

Alexander said Renew had taken a little time to hit his straps following a spell but was now starting to move along nicely.

“In his first couple of weeks he was a little bit rusty but now that we’ve got him going he’s moving pretty well,” Alexander said.

“He’ll have a few options at the end of the month and the beginning of February with all roads leading towards the Adelaide Cup.”

Originally part of the team English trainer Marco Botti sent to Melbourne for the spring carnival, Renew was transferred to Alexander at Ballarat after his disappointing run in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield on October 11.

The gelding scraped into the Caulfield Cup field a week later but finished 16th.

Renew showed the benefits of the country environment with a narrow second over 2800m at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day before claiming the Sandown Cup on November 15.

Alexander is slowly building his team and has a couple of other imports about to join the stable.

He has an Irish bred Galileo horse from the Luca Cumani stable heading his way for part-owners OTI Racing, the same group which races Renew, and a French-bred Monsun galloper, the sire of the past two Melbourne Cup winners.

“I’ve got a few others that are coming on the next plane from England,” Alexander said.

“A nice Galileo horse, that is Coolmore bred, was with Aidan O’Brien then went to Luca Cumani, called Sir Walter Scott and a nice Monsun coming from France owned by Michael Watt.

“There’s a bit of talent there and hopefully we can win a few races with them.

Article from justhorseracing.com.au