Exciting South Australian galloper Ironclad is most likely to tackle the $200,000 Golden Mile at Bendigo ahead of the $3m Doncaster Mile in Sydney on Saturday.
The Will Clarken stable were still weighing up their options on Wednesday with Ironclad faced with extreme outside barrier and needing three scratchings in Sydney, while he’s perfectly drawn in barrier four if he elects to chase a second Bendigo feature after winning last year’s edition as a heavily backed favourite.
“We’re still going through that now,’’ Clarken Racing's Racing Manager Lachie Weekley said.
“It’s unlikely he’ll get a run in Sydney being the third emergency, but we haven’t made a final decision,’’ he said.
Linda Meech will ride the horse if he runs in the Doncaster, while Jye McNeil will take the ride at Bendigo.
Ironclad turned a disappointing spring into a distant memory with an impressive return to racing winning the Listed Matrice Stakes over 1200m at Morphettville on Adelaide Cup Day.
Clarken said it was a pleasing return for a horse he holds in high regards.
“He had a misfire of a prep (in the spring). I was trying to make something happen that wasn’t,’’ Clarken said.
“You live and learn,’’ he said.
Ironclad is marked $4.60 chance in the Golden Mile, while he’s considered one of the outsiders at $71 in Sydney.
SA will be represented in the Doncaster by Dalasan, who finished third in last years race behind Cascadian, drawn perfectly in barrier five with Chad Schofield to ride and is marked a $34 chance.
The Clarken stable will also have Second Slip at Bendigo in a Benchmark 100 race alongside fellow local Morvada from the in-form Peter Jolly stable.
Both horses get in well at the weights, with Alana Kelly claiming 2kg aboard Morvada and Clarken also using a 2kg claim with Matthew Cartwright to partner Second Slip.
