Snowdens take Oakleigh Plate gamble

King’s Gambit has drawn the inside gate in his quest to capture the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.

King’s Gambit.
King’s Gambit. Picture: Martin King / Sportpix

The Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield is one of the toughest sprint races run in Australia with the pressure on from the outset. 

The 1100m Group 1 sprint on Saturday is a race Peter and Paul Snowden have won previously with Russian Revolution and the Sydney trainers are back again with three-year-old King's Gambit

The Oakleigh Plate has been the long-range target for King's Gambit this campaign as the colt chases a first Group 1 win. 

And Jamie Kah made a long-range commitment to ride the colt at 50kg on Saturday and has part of her getting to know King's Gambit she has flown to Sydney on two occasions to ride the three-year-old in preparatory trials. 

Peter Snowden said the tough 1100m contest should suit King's Gambit on Saturday. 

"I think the Oakleigh Plate is the right race for him," Snowden said. 

"The 1100 metres at Caulfield, he's been there before, he's won there before. 

"It's a high-pressure race, plenty of speed and he likes fast run races. 

"He settles better when the speed is on, and I think in my mind it maps well for him." 

King's Gambit has won two of his six starts with a further four minor placings, but Snowden said the best is yet to be seen of the colt. 

"He's a very smart horse and no-one has seen the best of him yet," Snowden said. 

"He beat Ozzmosis quite comfortably before he won the Coolmore Stakes (at Flemington), then unfortunately, we got a temperature the day before (the Coolmore) and had to pull him out. 

"He gets his chance to redeem himself on Saturday and there's a stack of good races around for him after that." 

Snowden indicated he was wary of running King's Gambit again up the straight at Flemington, although he admitted things did not pan out when defeated at his only appearance at the track last September. 

For that reason, Snowden is not ruling out a start in the Newmarket Handicap, although there are suitable races back in Sydney for the colt. 

"His only run down the straight he was a nightmare, but he was first-up and they didn't go hard, and he did everything back the front," Snowden said. 

"He's a bit more mature now, so I would never say never, but we'll worry about all that after the Oakleigh Plate. 

"The Newmarket is an option, but so too are races like the T J Smith and The Galaxy in Sydney." 


Racing and Sports



Caulfield

Saturday, 24th February 2024

9
16:55
(local)

Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate (G1)

WT: 50.0kg Type: OPEN
AUD $752,000
1100m TURF GOOD
9
16:55
(local)
AUD $752,000
1100m GOOD

Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate (G1)

WT: 50.0kg Type: OPEN
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 13. QUEMAN (AUS) 5yo G
MINT LANE (USA) - LANGREEN (AUS)
HARRY COFFEY
SHANE & CASSIE OXLADE
$17
52kg
F J L Smith, C J Smith & M Smith
2nd 10. HYPOTHETICAL (AUS) 5yo M
PRIDE OF DUBAI (AUS) - FITNA (AUS)
MICHAEL DEE
A & S FREEDMAN
$11
52kg
Boyd Bloodstock (Mgr: A M Boyd), Yarraman Park Stud (Mgr: A D Mitchell), King Lodge Racing (Mgr: J C King), D J Hall & R W Hill-Smith

Sales Information

3rd 12. MORNINGTON GLORY (AUS) 5yo G
SHALAA (IRE) - CROWNED GLORY (AUS)
DEAN YENDALL
GAVIN BEDGGOOD
$41
52kg
Mrs S Cummings, Mrs A L K Andrews, S Gilbert, Mrs S L Gilbert, S Crawford, M T Tripp, F D Brown, R A Ford, A F M Panozzo, B J Ratten & D J Foster

Sales Information

4th 8. BENEDETTA (AUS) 4yo M
HELLBENT (AUS) - WHATALOVELYDAY (AUS)
DANIEL STACKHOUSE
JASON WARREN
$7.5
53kg

Sales Information

5th 9. BRUDENELL (AUS) 4yo G
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (AUS) - KNIT 'N' PURL (AUS)
DANIEL MOOR
KRIS LEES
$21
52kg

Sales Information

6th 7. RECOMMENDATION (AUS) 4yo G
SHALAA (IRE) - ADVISO (USA)
DECLAN BATES
CIARON MAHER
$17
53.5kg

Sales Information

7th 4. SGHIRRIPA (AUS) 4yo G
LONHRO (AUS) - WONDER I DO (AUS)
CRAIG NEWITT
SHANE & CASSIE OXLADE
$7.5
55kg

Sales Information

8th 15. KING'S GAMBIT (AUS) 3yo C
I AM INVINCIBLE (AUS) - SULTRY FEELING (AUS)
JAMIE KAH
PETER & PAUL SNOWDEN
$4.2
50kg
9th 14. REY MAGNERIO (AUS) 4yo G
MAGNUS (AUS) - LUCHARDO (AUS)
JYE MCNEIL
R GRIFFITHS & M DE KOCK
$12
52kg
10th 2. ASFOORA (AUS) 5yo M
FLYING ARTIE (AUS) - GOLDEN CHILD (AUS)
MITCHELL AITKEN
HENRY DWYER
$9
57.5kg

Sales Information

11th 1. KALLOS (AUS) 5yo G
MEDAGLIA D'ORO (USA) - CALLIOPE (AUS)
BLAKE SHINN
JAMES CUMMINGS
$12
58kg
12th 5. CHAIN OF LIGHTNING (AUS) 5yo M
FIGHTING SUN (AUS) - MAGIC ART (AUS)
MS CARLEEN HEFEL
PETER G MOODY & KATHERINE COLEMAN
$31
53.5kg
13th 3. SKEW WIFF (NZ) 4yo M
SAVABEEL (AUS) - STARVOIA (AUS)
CRAIG WILLIAMS
MARK WALKER
$26
55.5kg

Sales Information

14th 11. LEMPICKA (AUS) 5yo M
RICH ENUFF (AUS) - HOT ART (AUS)
BLAIKE MCDOUGALL
K & K KEYS
$41
52kg
15th 6. NAJEM SUHAIL (AUS) 6yo G
STARSPANGLEDBANNER (AUS) - SOPHIE'S SPIRIT (AUS)
CELINE GAUDRAY
R GRIFFITHS & M DE KOCK
$21
53.5kg

Sales Information