A potentially heavy track at Flemington has prompted Michael Kent Jnr to divert Bustling’s racing comeback to Sydney for Saturday’s engagement.
The former Perth galloper is now third-up in this preparation after an extended period away from the racetrack, which spanned more than 18 months.
Now a four-year-old, Bustling was initially entered for a comparable 1100-metre race at Flemington. However, he will now compete in the Cactus Imaging Handicap (1200m) at Randwick. Currently, the lightly raced gelding is second favourite at $4, trailing Bjorn Baker’s Amazing Eagle, according to leading Aussie betting sites.
“We made the decision after I spoke to (track manager) Liam O’Keefe at Flemington and they are expecting a Heavy 8 and then I spoke to Mike Woods at the ATC and they are expecting a Soft 5 or maybe a touch better at Randwick,” Kent Jnr explained.
“He’s a Perth horse and he wants to get on top of the ground. All our feedback from whether it was Mark Zahra at the trials or Craig Williams last start is that he is better on top of the ground.”
After finishing unplaced in the Group 2 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill in September 2024, his subsequent start at Caulfield on May 9 was followed by a second-place finish in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) contested on heavy going three weeks later.
Drawing on the success of other horses that have undergone lengthy spell periods, a more substantial Bustling presented a challenge for Kent Jnr and co-trainer Mick Price to prepare the winner of four races from eight starts for his return.
“We’re very happy with the horse and he’s had a perfect preparation,” Kent Jnr stated.
“We were working off two years of fat and he’s a big, impressive sprinting type now and has been making natural improvement in his races.
“He never had any major injury but more so it was frustrating that every time we would bring him in, a different minor wheel would fall off so he had to go back out again. He just got out of shape but he this time has been 100% sound the whole way through.
“I’m looking at horses like Jigsaw and Giga Kick who had similar long layoffs and they’ve come back and performed at a very high level.”
Further afield, the stable has Naifah entered for the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) at Ipswich, following her fifth-place finish in the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on May 30.
Naifah is currently assessed as a $7 chance in the final race at Ipswich on Saturday, according to popular betting apps Australia. She has drawn barrier 14, which effectively becomes barrier 12 after scratchings.
“It was a pretty decent listed race last time, a strong race,” Kent Jnr commented.
“If you could bet in the run and you could imagine that she gets across into a good spot from that awkward gate, and down with the 53.5 kilos, she’s quite well in.”
Bustling is a strong contender in the Cactus Imaging Handicap at Randwick, and those interested in the race can find competitive sports betting options.