A week after capturing her first Queensland major in spectacular fashion with Zaaki, Annabel Neasham will look to keep her momentum rolling with tough colt Holyfield.
The three-year-old will take on hype horse Ayrton in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday and Neasham has a healthy regard for the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding.
But she also believes Holyfield’s race fitness and liking for the journey will hold him in good stead.
“Obviously, Mick Price’s horse has a big boom on it and I’m sure it will be hard to beat but the 1400 seems to be our fellow’s go and he’s rock-hard fit, so I’m looking forward to seeing him line up there,” Neasham said.
Holyfield was placed in Group 3 company as a juvenile and again as a spring three-year-old when under the care of Neasham’s old bosses, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
In three starts for Neasham, he has been gradually working into fitness.
He needed the hitout when resuming with an unplaced run behind Ellsberg in the South Pacific Classic and improved from his fifth in the Queensland Guineas to finish runner-up to Glitter Strip at Doomben last start.
Josh Parr has picked up the mount on Holyfield and Neasham says the horse has continued to train on.
“He looks super and he has tightened up,” she said.
“He was good the other day. It was a good ride by ‘J Mac’ (James McDonald) and I thought he was going to cling on and while he didn’t quite, he’s hardened up again from that run.”
Holyfield is at $31 in early TAB fixed odds markets which have Ayrton a $1.55 chance to take his undefeated record to four.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au