As he approaches the twilight of his training career, Morphettville trainer Stuart Gower is hopeful that Darknconfidential can deliver the Group 1 victory that has eluded him so far. The gelding is on a path to the Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville in May, with his next step being the SkyCity Handicap (1400m) at Morphettville Parks on Saturday. Gower, who has had only 10 Group 1 starters since beginning his career in the 1990s, came close to adding Darknconfidential to that list last spring. Originally planned for the Victoria Derby, the gelding was instead given a break, a decision Gower now sees as beneficial.
“He wasn’t quite mature enough last time because he’s a late November foal,” Gower explained. “We considered pushing on toward the Derby, but in hindsight, the break was the right call. He’s come back bigger, stronger, and more mature, and we’re really excited about his progress.” Darknconfidential was sent for a spell after finishing sixth in the Listed Hill Smith Stakes (1800m) at Morphettville in October. He resumed with a closing fifth over 1250m on the Parks track on February 15. While Gower acknowledges that running on the Parks track again isn’t ideal, Saturday’s race fits well into his preparation for a potential start in the Listed Morphettville Guineas (1600m) on March 10.
“Depending on how he runs on Saturday, he might target the Guineas on Adelaide Cup Day,” Gower said. “The programming is a bit unusual. We have the mile on Adelaide Cup Day, then drop back to 1400 metres for the Nitschke Stakes, and then go up to the 1800 metres of the Port Adelaide Guineas. After that, there’s the Chairman’s Stakes and the Derby. It’s a strange setup early in the campaign.” Gower would have preferred Saturday’s race to be on the main Morphettville track, as Darknconfidential performed well first-up and has trained on strongly.
“The inner track isn’t ideal for him because he’s such a big horse, but the programming dictates where he needs to go,” Gower said. “I still think he can win, but he’d definitely perform better on the outer track. He’s a lovely horse, and I’m confident we’ll get there this time. He’s really developed into a fine horse.”