Trainer John McArdle will be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky when consistent galloper Regal Zeus returns to Flemington for Saturday’s running of The David Bourke (1620m).
It will be Regal Zeus’ third attempt at the famous straight track, having finished ninth in his debut at the course in July last year and fourth two starts back over the same trip on May 17.
Despite not yet saluting at headquarters, the gelding has been remarkably consistent, placing first or second in 10 of his last 13 outings.
“Flemington is probably not his track,” McArdle admitted.
“He ran fourth there a couple of starts ago and he’s probably better off at Caulfield or The Valley, but that’s where the race is, so that’s where we’ll go.
“The horse is in really good order. It will be three weeks between runs and if he runs well in that, then he presses on to the final two weeks later.”
The David Bourke is a qualifying heat for the VRC-CRV Winter Championship, which concludes with a final over 1600m at Flemington on July 5.
One outlier on Regal Zeus’ recent resume was his fifth-place finish behind Pride Of Jenni in the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m) on May 3, which McArdle chalked up to race dynamics.
“He controls the speed in most races, but against a horse the calibre of her he couldn’t,” McArdle said.
“Whilst the plan of attack was to come back and sit off her, he didn’t want to do that, and he just raced out of his comfort zone.
“He still ran fifth and was a bit soft late, but he did all the chasing, and he’s bounced back, both at Flemington and at Caulfield last start.”
Regal Zeus will again clash with Jimmy The Bear this weekend, and McArdle believes minor factors could flip the result from their last meeting.
“He had the pull in the weights on us that day,” McArdle said.
“But it’s interesting, Harry (Coffey) thought if the rail had of been on, that might have been the difference in the margin.
“He handles give in the ground, but he’s better on top of it, so hopefully the rain will stay away.”
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