Trainer Peter Snowden is hoping to extend his late-season hot streak with improving sprinter Cassiel when the four-year-old lines up in The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Snowden, who has notched six winners in the past fifteen days, chose to scratch Cassiel from a midweek engagement at Canterbury, instead targeting the weekend’s metro meeting due to improved track conditions.
“It was a heavy nine (at Canterbury). I almost went with him but I thought, if he got beaten a head at Canterbury and it was a good four on Saturday, I’d be kicking myself,” Snowden said.
“So I made the decision to pull out and wait for Saturday.
“He’s a nice horse. Still learning but he is starting to put it all together now and it’s coming through in his efforts on the track.
“He is racing very well, consistently without overdoing it and he is finding the line really well. He’s a chance on Saturday.”
By Harry Angel, Cassiel is unbeaten this campaign, having scored a front-running victory at Canterbury in April and backing it up with another solid performance at Hawkesbury.
He heads into Saturday’s assignment looking to complete a winning treble and add further momentum to a stable enjoying a purple patch, highlighted recently by two-year-old Raging Force’s dominant Rosehill win and Tashi’s long-awaited Group 1 breakthrough in the Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m).
“That was the highlight of the year,” Snowden said.
“For that horse to win that race was just so good. She had been so unlucky so many times and to finally get a Group One meant a lot.”
Cassiel is rated a $5 chance to bring up a hat-trick, and will be joined at Randwick by California Sunrise ($14), who lines up in the Precise Air Handicap (1400m).
The pair will be out to continue Snowden’s strong close to the season, with 11 winners from his last 50 runners heading into Thursday’s Gosford meeting.
To follow betting markets for The Agency Real Estate Handicap and Snowden’s in-form runners, punters have plenty of reasons to stay tuned this Saturday.
