Trainer Richard Litt freely concedes it took time to work out what makes Romeo’s Choice tick, but now that the penny has dropped he’d gladly fill his yard with horses as honest as the seven-year-old.
The gelding heads to Rosehill on Saturday chasing successive wins in the Schweppes Sprint (1100m) after kicking off his campaign with a tough first-up victory at Warwick Farm on July 2.
That success came on heavy ground—something Litt once thought the horse disliked.
“For the first half of his life I would never run him on a wet track because I didn’t think he handled it and then one day I thought, bugger it, we’ll send him around at Canterbury,” Litt recalled.
“It was a heavy ten and he won by three lengths so I thought, I’ve been reading the play wrong here.
“He does seem to like any sort of ground. He is the ultimate racehorse.”
Durable and consistent, Romeo’s Choice has faced the starter 36 times for six wins, 15 placings and just under $400,000 in prizemoney. While still searching for a Rosehill breakthrough, he has missed the top three only once in six attempts at Saturday’s 1100m trip.
He rounded out his previous preparation with a Saturday-class win, and Litt knows exactly what he’ll get when the gates open.
“He turns up, he tries very hard. He is incredibly loyal and tough. He always gives you 110 per cent,” he said.
“It’s obviously a massive step up in grade for him. But he is a lovely horse.
“He won in town last start, albeit midweek, and he won a Saturday race before that.
“He definitely won’t be the worst horse in that race.”
Early markets were wide on Thursday, with online bookmakers posting three $6 equal favourites: resuming Corniche, in-form Storm The Ramparts and the lightly raced South Of India. Romeo’s Choice was being kept safe at $13.
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