Trainer Chris Bieg is full of optimism heading into Saturday’s Murray Bridge meeting, particularly for stable star Annihilate, who he believes is perfectly placed in the Mulch N More Handicap (1400m).
Joining him in the race is stablemate Voltage Point, with Bieg confident Annihilate is ready to strike again after his strong win in the Autumn Series Final (1600m) at Morphettville earlier this month.
“I would like to have split them in different races as this is the ideal race for Annihilate,” Bieg said. “He’s thriving at the moment and we’ve put gaps between runs. With access to the beach, we’ve been keeping him fresh. He’s a happy horse.”
Voltage Point also won on May 3 but has been a touch keen in his recent racing, finishing third over 1300m last weekend on the Parks track.
“Voltage Point has been overracing a little bit and I wanted to back him up over the 1400 just to see if last week’s run might have taken the edge off him ever so slightly and relax a bit better,” Bieg explained. “If not, we’ll go back to 1200 metres in a fortnight. We’re experimenting a bit.”
The pair will face stiff competition from the Will Clarken and Nicki O’Shea-trained Sachem, who leads betting at $6, with Annihilate at $6.50 and Voltage Point close behind at $8.
Earlier on the program, Bieg also saddles up Tripod Terror in the Prime Irrigation Handicap (1200m). The consistent galloper hasn’t missed a placing in his past five runs and is rated a $6 chance following a strong second placing at Morphettville on May 10.
“He had a bit of a foot problem which forced him to have time between runs,” Bieg said. “We took him to Port Lincoln for a confidence-boosting win, but he did a lot wrong, so we’ve made some gear changes and he’s responded well.”
Tripod Terror was narrowly beaten in the Magic Millions 3&4YO Classic at Murray Bridge in March and is expected to be competitive again.
Bieg also has Overstrike lining up on the card, with the trainer hopeful experienced hoop Justin Potter can help the horse settle better in the run.
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