Gently stoking the fire

Cambridge galloper Firebolt, New Zealand's sole entry in the A$1 million Epsom Handicap at Randwick on October 2, is battling against time to make the Sydney feature but showed he was going the right way with a fine trials win at Te Teko yesterday.

Trainer Roger James believes the Stravinsky five-year-old can be competitive against Australia's top milers but says wet tracks have played against him in the preparation so far.

Firebolt would have made the field for the Gr I $200,000 Mudgway Partsworld Stakes (1400m) at Hastings last Saturday but James made the strategic decision to trial instead.

While there was no monetary reward, James got just the result he was seeking as Firebolt ran out a convincing 2 1/2-length winner of the 1200m open heat for rider Matthew Cameron, beating the Michael Moroney and Andrew Clarken-trained He's Under The Gun and the Danica Guy-trained Poppy Rose.

''Really happy with that. He's grown up a fair bit,'' James said afterwards.

Firebolt is one of 91 entries for the Epsom and James is counting on the field falling away to allow the twice Gr II-placed galloper his shot at glory.

James had Firebolt entered for the 1400m open handicap at Ellerslie on Saturday but said today he wasn't going to accept and the entry was made to ''keep every option open''.

He has the option of the 1200m open handicap at Ruakaka the following week but believes the trip will be too sharp, and he has been told that Firebolt would be unlikely to make the field for the Gr II A$175,000 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on September 18, leaving the Gr I $200,000 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) as his other Epsom leadup alternative.

''Getting a run [in the Epsom] will be the worry. I wanted to go over and run in the Shannon but if he'd get a run,'' James said.

''The Epsom would be a great race for him, especially at the bottom of the handicaps. The one thing from this trial is that I know where I am with him now.''

James produced 15 runners at yesterday's trials with talented mares Glamorous Girl and Veronica Franco pleasing him most.

Veronica Franco, scratched from Hastings last Saturday in reaction to the slow track, was placed in a 1000m open heat, while Glamorous Girl was unplaced in a similar conditions trial two heats earlier.

''It would have been too wet for Veronica Franco at Hastings and while it was nearly as wet today but here we can choose to do as much as we want to,'' James said.

''She would have been competitive down there but she would have had a hard run first-up.''

Both Veronica Franco and Glamorous Girl will head to Hastings for a $30,000 Rating 90 1400m race on September 18, with both mares entered for the Gr II $250,000 Coupland's Bakeries Mile at Riccarton on November 10.

''I'm very happy with both of them,'' said James, who yesterday entered 14 three-year-olds for the 1000 and 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November.

''This is the most excited I've been about a team in 30 years of training,'' added.

Others from the stable to impress yesterday were 1200m maiden heat winner Brick House and 800m maiden three-year-old heat runner-up Macavity.

- © Fairfax NZ News