Tom Charlton, a competing trainer, yields that if Autumn Glow rocks up to Rosehill in excellent order, the George Ryder Stakes will likely boil down to chasing the supporting positions.
He’s far less certain about a repeat in the Doncaster Mile (1600m) were the glamour mare to target it subsequent to Saturday.
Both Linebacker and Yorkshire, under Charlton’s guidance, face the Group 1 this coming weekend carrying 2kg more than Autumn Glow on the weight-for-age conditions.
Charlton points out this setup favors the Chris Waller superstar heavily as she chases win number 11 in a row, with her standard performances possibly relegating rivals to a battle for the minors.
“I can’t be definitive with that, but if she’s on her normal game, it probably is,” Charlton said.
“As we know with horses, that’s not always the case, but we’re realistic about the challenge at set weights.
“Perhaps if we meet her in the Doncaster we might have more favourable conditions to give us our best chance of beating her.”
For the Doncaster Mile (1600m) in a month’s time, Linebacker and Yorkshire weigh in at 53kg against Autumn Glow’s allotted 56.5kg, delivering a substantial 6.5kg benefit.
The marquee race represents the primary path ahead for both runners, as Charlton hopes Linebacker repeats his near-miss, beaten 1-1/2 lengths by Joliestar when resuming over 1300m in the Canterbury Stakes.
“He didn’t jump as well as he can. He ended up a bit further back in what was a dash home,” Charlton said.
“But all-in-all, it was a very good run. A run with a lot of merit and if he’d got the first hundred metres a bit more clinical, he would have been right in the finish.
“We want to see a similar run second-up. Top three would be great.”
Yorkshire shaped nicely too with fifth place in that sprint, tracking the pace effectively amid recovery from a preseason knockback that delayed his seasonal bow by a week.
“To see him put in that effort and only be beaten a couple of lengths was really creditable,” Charlton said.
“Again, we want to see another strong performance and then third-up into the Doncaster.”
Entries list Linebacker and Yorkshire under Charlton’s sole name Saturday, subsequent to John O’Shea’s four-month ban imposed Tuesday by Racing NSW for misconduct with vets after the disputed removal of Bev’s Nine at Rosehill last month.
O’Shea aims to fight the decision and secure an interim suspension lift.
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