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Lindsay Park to saddle two in Group One opener

3 minute read

Lindsay Park has Group One plans for Harlem & So Si Bon.

HARLEM.
HARLEM. Picture: Racing and Sports

Lindsay Park has Group One plans for dual Australian Cup winner Harlem who is set to commence his spring campaign in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. 

The spring features of the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup or Melbourne Cup may now be beyond the nine-year-old, but Lindsay Park hopes to snare one of the Group One lead ups. 

Lindsay Park co-trainer Tom Dabernig said the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on October 3 was an early target race with anything after that a bonus. 

Dabernig and his co-trainer, cousin Ben Hayes, are planning to have Harlem at his peak third-up for the Turnbull Stakes assignment. 

Harlem claimed the 2018 and 2019 Australian Cups, also over the 2000m course at Flemington, third-up and that was in Dabernig's mind when delaying the resumption of Harlem's spring campaign. 

In the past two years Harlem has kicked off in the Group Two Peter Lawrence Stakes, also over 1400m at Caulfield, however the team this year is taking a different approach. 

Harlem and stablemate So Si Bon are part of a 15-horse line up for Saturday's official opening of the Victorian spring carnival. 

"He'll find the 1400 metres a bit sharp but I think he should be running on," Dabernig said of Harlem. 

"All going well he'll go to the Makybe Diva (at Flemington on September 12) and then to the Turnbull Stakes. 

"When he won those Australian Cups he was third-up and I want to try and plot a path for him third-up into the Turnbull. 

"I know the Turnbull is probably going to be a harder race than an Australian Cup, but he likes the 2000 metres at Flemington. 

"He still seems to have a bit of zest in him and I thought his jump-out at Flemington last week was not bad." 

So Si Bon is following the same lead-up program to last year's Memsie Stakes in which he finished second to Scales Of Justice

The now seven-year-old won last year's Aurie's Star Stakes (1200m) at Flemington first-up before the Memsie and on resumption this year finished fourth in the Flemington sprint with significantly more weight. 

"I thought he ran quite reasonably first-up," Dabernig said. 

"It's hard to say that he's going as well as he was 12 months ago, but there's definitely no negative on him heading into Saturday's race. 

"He's sound and fit and he's probably been at that level where he's just below the real good ones, but he is a real old warhorse. 

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was somewhere around them at the finish."


Racing and Sports

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