Dominic Tourneur expects Saturday’s Flemington raid to be one of many he conducts in partnership with Adelaide trainer Phillip Stokes in the coming months.
Tourneur’s successful partnership with Stokes helped land the pair the Adelaide jockeys’ and trainers’ titles respectively last season and the pair will combine with two runners, Couldn’t Agreemore and Eclair Samba at Flemington.
Stokes won Group races in Melbourne with Eclair Big Bang and Hucklebuck last season and that pair, along with emerging stablemate Eclair Choice, are likely to head to Melbourne for feature targets in the spring.
“The momentum is starting to build a little bit over here with some of Phillip’s better ones back in work,” Tourneur said.
“Hopefully they can step up another notch and Phillip can find suitable races for them in the spring.”
Couldn’t Agreemore will resume in the Dean Palmby & Scott Millson Handicap (1000m) at Flemington while Eclair Samba will have his second Victorian start in the Betty Moran & Gregory Nugent Handicap (2000m).
Bookmakers respect the pair, installing Couldn’t Agreemore as $4.20 second pick for his assignment while Eclair Samba is the $2.90 favourite to go one better than his last-start second to subsequent Moonee Valley winner Backbone on July 19.
Tourneur says he expects Eclair Samba to improve on his second trip to Melbourne in what the jockey thinks is a winnable contest.
“This bloke is going well and he has been tested once over there at Flemington so he knows what it’s all about with the travelling and he’ll take to it better this time,” Tourneur said.
“There doesn’t look to be a lot of depth in the race. Count Encosta, Madam Nash and Kenjorwood will all be around the mark.”
Couldn’t Agreemore finished third in Listed company at his only run on the Flemington straight course and tuned up for his first-up run with a trial win at Morphettville last Friday.
“They both seem to be legitimate hopes and when Phillip takes them across the border, he’s usually pretty confident in their chances,” Tourneur said.
