Glen Thompson is hopeful of turning his fortunes around at Caulfield this weekend after a frustrating recent run of luck at the races.
Thompson’s last starter was on June 7, when Benagil ran third in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm. His midweek plans were derailed when his runner Monte Cassino was scratched following the abandonment of Wednesday’s Sale meeting after Race 3.
Now, his attention shifts to Brandjam, who contests the Remembering Robbie Laing Handicap (1440m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Brandjam, previously trained by the late Mike Moroney, has remained under Thompson’s care, with the trainer eager to repay owners Chris Dziedzic and Lynn Cole from Kariba Racing.
“It would be great to get another winner for Chris and Lynn from Kariba Racing as they have been massive supporters of mine since going back out on my own,” Thompson said.
Brandjam scored on debut before a solid maiden win over Taken, who has since notched four wins, including multiple Flemington victories.
“He won his maiden at The Valley, so we tried him in some better races after that,” Thompson said.
“It was getting towards the end of his first prep, and he was still a colt.
“He changed really quickly from not being interested in the girls to being quite colty in the space of a week and his last couple of runs showed that.”
Now a gelding, Brandjam returned in strong form with a front-running win over 1200m at Cranbourne on May 30, impressing Thompson enough to step up to Saturday grade.
“The query is probably the 1400 (metres), but I thought he was strong to the line at Cranbourne,” he said.
“It was either go out to the 1400 or come back to the 1100 (metres), so I thought we might as well give him his chance now while we can.
“He’s not a big horse, but he’s got a big heart and tries hard, so it should take him a long way.
“He’s going to have to get some cover and relax as he does everything a little bit quick at this stage, but if he can find a bum and switch off a little bit, I’m sure he can run it out.”
Punters interested in betting on the Remembering Robbie Laing Handicap at Caulfield can find odds and markets at Australia’s top betting sites.
