3 minute read

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) is the next port of call for Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa as trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young plot a path towards the Caulfield Guineas.

Tagaloa finished third in the McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) fresh, when he was just caught after racing clear early in the straight.

"I was a little disappointed he didn't win his firstup run because when you've got a horse of that ability, you just expect them to win and you want them to win everything especially with his value as a colt," owner Ozzie Kheir said.

"I thought after watching the replay that his run first-up was enormous. It was against the breeze there, he was three wide and stuck on really well finishing third. It took a lot out of him being his first run, so we decided not to go to the Danehill and give him an extra week.

"So we will go to the Rupert Clarke, it's a Group 1, he will get in first around 54 kilograms and have his chance there. We might look at riding him a little quieter than we have been.

"He's always had to do all the work and be on pace. We will look at that going into the Guineas with that being his grand final.

"From there we will assess, if he comes through that run and he still has gas in the tank then we will look at the Cox Plate if he is up to that level."