Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer John Sargent is well aware he’s throwing in-form stayer Pecuniary Interest in the deep end in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 XXXX January Cup (2000m) at Rosehill.

Trainer John Sargent.

But he argues that the bulk of the field are going through the motions at this level while his five-year-old is just starting to hit his straps with back-to-back impressive Midway wins and being the fresh horse on the scene isn’t a bad thing.

Pecuniary Interest carries 53kg, a drop of 5.5kg on his Boxing Day win over 2000m, and Sargent is quietly confident he can measure up.

“You could wait for another week and run (in a Benchmark 78) and he’ll have 59.5kg but it’s good going into a field when he’s on the way up and a lot of them have been going around,’’ Sargent said.

“He’s a fresh horse on the scene, it’s a big jump up but with the weight drop I think he will run well.

“Criaderas will be the horse to beat but it looks pretty open. It’s going to be a roll of the dice but you have a go, don’t you, and see.”

The gelding, $12 with TAB on Wednesday with Lord Ardmore still in the field, has won three of his five starts for Sargent but he hasn’t helped himself by missing the start in his two recent wins.

That’s something the Randwick trainer has a mixed opinion on, clearly it’s not ideal to be conceding a few lengths at the start when you’re rising in class, and says it’s a battle he feels he’s winning.

“He was still a bit slow away the other day but he was better and he should be better again on Saturday,’’ he said.

“I jumped him out last week with a barrier blanket and he jumped very well. I think he is just waking up now.

“He’s come on a lot more mature mentally, he was always a bit fragile, and that break did him a world of good. He’s staying well and if there’s a bit of rain that won’t worry him.”

In an ideal world Sargent would like to see Pecuniary Interest jump with them and settle around midfield, but if he’s out the back he just hopes the horse travels as well as he did on Boxing Day.

He finished off the 2000m with a 35.34 for his last 600m (Punter's Intelligence), two lengths faster than the next best, and was clearly strongest late with a 12.16 final 200m (1.5 lengths faster).

“He needs to get in his own zone. Hugh (Bowman) told me after the race he was always going to win because he was always on the bit,’’ he said.

“It was good to see him do it again after a win because sometimes they don’t back it up.

“He’s only a couple of runs into the campaign, he’ll run through into the autumn and we’ll see how far he can go.”

Meanwhile, Sargent’s classy filly Four Moves Ahead is not far off a trial as she’s being set for next month’s Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m).

Pecuniary Interest wins at Randwick on December 26

The Tea Rose Stakes winner finished sixth in the Group 1 Flight Stakes at her last start in the spring.

“She’s ready to trial either the 13th at Randwick or 17th at Rosehill,’’ he said.

“She’s had two or three gallops and is ready to go, she doesn’t take much to bring up.”

And he has Satirical Glory, fourth in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes, building up towards an Australian Derby campaign.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting