Racing Odds: A Cautious Approach For The Quarterback
July 22nd, 2014 by Pom de TurfThe Quarterback is a talented, rising four-year-old, and he’s a horse that’s well worth keeping tabs on when you’re looking over the Racing odds in advance of the big races coming up in the Melbourne Spring. But don’t necessarily expect to see The Quarterback putting in too many appearances – trainer Robbie Griffiths looks to have a light schedule in mind for his charge…
The Quarterback’s maiden Group 1 opportunity came in the Australian Guineas – and he’d earned it after a couple of good runs that saw him place third in both the Manfred Stakes (Group 3) and the CS Hayes Stakes (also Group 3). But it didn’t go well for The Quarterback over the 1600m of the Australian Guineas, and the trainer took him away for a more careful preparation. The upshot is that we don’t expect to see him at races like the Manikato Stakes or the VRC Sprint Classic in the Spring. Instead, he’s likely to be tested over some more accessible sprints before another go at the Group 1s next year. Robbie Griffiths puts it best himself: ‘the Quarterback I’d be looking at second tier sprints. He’s got a lot of potential but he’s still not a highly-rated horse. We’ve got time to poke along and not put the bar too high this time then maybe season him up to possibly look at Newmarket on the minimum weight in the autumn as an autumn four-year-old. He’s a gelding, he’s not going to be whizzing off to stud anywhere, so he doesn’t have to jump in the deep end and be poorly weighted. I’d probably rather go down the gently gently path, but he is once again like all horses at this time of year and his immediate form is going to determine what path he takes.’
There you have it: The Quarterback is still a horse to watch, and he’ll be making an appearance in the Racing odds over the Spring Season, but don’t expect to see him in the big Group 1 races…
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