De Bergerac is already confirmed for next month’s Santa Ana Lane Series Final, but the gelding will use this Saturday’s final qualifying race to complete its preparation for the Listed event.
The five-year-old, trained by Grahame Begg, is set to compete in the $150,000 open handicap over 1100 metres at Flemington.
This race serves as the last heat before the $175,000 final, which runs over 1200m on July 4 Finals Day. Begg decided against letting De Bergerac go straight from the Listed Straight Six, where it was second on May 16, to the final.
“It was going to be six weeks between runs, so he’s got to go around next week,” Begg explained.
“He loves the Flemington straight and this is his top-off run to go into the Santa Ana Lane two weeks later. He’s already qualified for that because he ran second in the other race (last start).”
De Bergerac finished behind Losesomewinmore in the Straight Six, when it was a strongly supported $2.90 favourite.
That outing was its sixth top-three finish from nine starts up the Flemington straight, where it has been victorious twice.
To stay race-fit, De Bergerac participated in a 900m trial on Caulfield’s Heath track last Thursday, finishing third, a length behind the winner, Recuperato.
The son of Zoustar is one of three potential starters in Saturday’s open sprint for Begg. He has also entered his younger half-brother, Royal Insignia, but will assess the weather before committing the gelding, who finds it difficult to perform at its best on wet tracks.
Royal Insignia and De Bergerac share the same dam, the Tobougg mare Yau Chin, who also produced Begg’s Blue Diamond winner, Written By.
Written By, a Widden Stud-based stallion, is the sire of Begg’s other entry for Saturday’s open sprint, Samangu. She is a contender to make her debut start since finishing second-last in the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 21.
Consider the available betting markets for the Santa Ana Lane Series Final with Australian betting sites.