Weights suit Tuscan Fire in Roy Higgins Quality 2015

Trainer Dan O’Sullivan believes the compressed weights of the Roy Higgins Quality will enable Tuscan Fire to break a long run of outs at Flemington.

While carrying top weight of 58kg over 2600m on Saturday, Tuscan Fire will be giving just 1.5kg to rivals when he chases his first win in 18 months.

“Our bloke, he’s the form horse, the consistent horse and has been racing in better grade,” O’Sullivan said.

“Handicap-wise it suits him.”

O’Sullivan had considered an Adelaide Cup start for Tuscan Fire but memories of the 2013 edition in which the horse failed to beat a runner home convinced him otherwise.

The hot weather in Adelaide affected the gelding and forced O’Sullivan to pull up stumps on his campaign.

With plans to keep Tuscan Fire racing through the winter, O’Sullivan doesn’t want to take that risk again.

“I’ve travelled the horse a couple of times and he’s never really settled well,” O’Sullivan said.

“He’s also been up for a long time. When we went to the (2013) Adelaide Cup he’d been up for a long campaign and it got hot over there and he lost his way.

“As an older horse, I want to get some races into him over the winter and get him jumping again.

“I was worried if I went to the Adelaide Cup and it got hot it might have been the end of his campaign.”

Glen Boss, who has won three races on Tuscan Fire from six rides including the 2013 Mornington Cup, returns to the saddle for the first time since the Adelaide Cup flop.

O’Sullivan said would trial Tuscan Fire over hurdles to earn his ticket to race over jumps as early as possible following Saturday’s race.

Tuscan Fire has two wins and two minor placings from six starts over jumps.

Article from justhorseracing.com.au

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