3 minute read
Perennial underdog Rocketing By hasn’t started in single figures for over two years but trainer David Pfieffer is adamant he’s going well enough to upset the applecart in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Toyota Forklifts Missile Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
The gelding was a $61 chance when he won the Sydney Stakes on Everest Day last year, collecting a tidy $1.1m for his connections, and David Pfieffer said the promise of a genuine speed will give him his chance to fire.
Rocketing By was $21 with TAB on Thursday and in his latest trial he accounted for Group 1 winners Madame Pommery and Lindermann back on July 21.
"His two trials were good, he's in good order, he looks great and has been working well,'' he said.
"Jason (Collett) came out and galloped him on Tuesday morning and said he felt great.
"At least we've drawn well, that's the key thing. There's nothing worse than seeing races turn into a sit and sprint and you've drawn wide and you're forced to go back.
"He manages to pop up at big odds. I thought personally he's a bit over the odds but that's probably his make up."
The six-year-old was tried at Group 1 level in the autumn where he ran a close sixth in the Galaxy but finished near the back in the TJ Smith on a heavy track.
It's likely that another Sydney Stakes is on Rocketing By's program later in the spring but Pfieffer said it's the right time to have a horse of his quality ready to race now.
"We have such lucrative sprint races around in Sydney you've just got to be around and be a player,'' he said.
"I'd love another tilt at the Sydney Stakes but I'll be guided by the weather.
"We want to keep our options open but we thought we'd get him up and going early and see if we can snag a couple of early wins before you start taking on horses like Giga Kick and I Wish I Win."
Soami chases a hat-trick in the Jockey Celebration Day Handicap (1350m) and Pfieffer said given he's already accomplished away from Midway company he shouldn't be underestimated.
The seven-year-old produced big finishes to win successive Midways at Rosehill in July, clocking a slick 33.80 for his last 600m (Punter's Intelligence) in the latest.
"The drop to Midway grade has helped him. Now he has a bit of confidence about himself and it'd be nice if he can make it three in a row,'' he said.
"He's back in 78 grade now so he's going to find it a bit more even but he's got a nice soft barrier again.
"This past 18 months he's been racing really well without winning and he'd been doing that in 78 grade. There are multiple runs in 78 grade where he's just missed out or had a hard luck story."
Stablemate Excelladus may back up in the same race after having his own hard luck tale at Randwick last weekend, where he was badly held up all the way home, but Pfieffer said there is another option for him next week.
He's drawn the outside and that will be taken into consideration when a decision is made.
"That was bloody hard to watch last week and that's the reason I looked at the option of backing up because you could say he didn't really go around,'' he said.
