Sharper Amenable first-up at Flemington

Amenable will have his first start as a gelding in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap at Flemington.

AMENABLE.
AMENABLE. Picture: Racing Photos

Without a win in a Stakes race to hang his future on as a stallion, Amenable returns for an autumn campaign at Flemington as a gelding. 

Not seen since running fourth in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield last October, Amenable runs first-up as a gelding in the Group 3 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (1400m) on Saturday. 

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Amenable showed promise as three-year-old being a dual placegetter at Stakes level along with an unlucky fifth in the Group 1 Australian Guineas

At the end of his spring campaign, Kent Jnr said it was an easy decision to geld Amenable and for the four-year-old to concentrate on being a racehorse. 

"There wasn't stud masters jumping out of trees to bid on Amenable, so it was an easy decision, and it looks like, so far, we have been vindicated," Kent Jnr said. 

"And he was always going to benefit with maturity. He was always behind other horses, maturity wise, and I think now he's catching up now." 

Amenable had previously been slow to begin, but in two Cranbourne jump-outs last month the four-year-old has improved his barrier manners. 

"He's definitely more switched on, but he's always been a talented horse," Kent Jnr said. 

"He seems to be leaving the barriers a lot sharper now and he's carrying less excess, and Damian Lane made the comment in his last trial that he seems to have come to hand a bit quicker now that he's not an entire and carrying the bulk a normal colt would. 

"He's always shown the potential that he could win a nice, big handicap one day. 

"He got very close in the Toorak and ran very well in the Memsie last spring, so hopefully we can kick off the prep in winning fashion." 

Amenable is entered for the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on the opening day of The Champions, and Kent Jnr said that was a race they would like to target. 

"I think if he runs really well, we will look to go to Sydney with him," Kent Jnr said. 

"He is entered in the Doncaster, and if he pleases us first-up and second-up, and gets into the race, that's where we would like to go." 


Racing and Sports



Flemington

Saturday, 09th March 2024

7
13:55
(local)

Furphy Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (G3)

WT: 54.0kg Type: OPEN
AUD $202,700
1400m TURF GOOD
7
13:55
(local)
AUD $202,700
1400m GOOD

Furphy Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap (G3)

WT: 54.0kg Type: OPEN
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 10. VON HAUKE (NZ) 4yo G
SAVABEEL (AUS) - TIARA (NZ)
CRAIG WILLIAMS
CLIFF BROWN
$8
54kg
Barree Pastoral Co Pty Ltd (Mgr: G B Whittenbury) & Imperial Racing Stable (Mgr: M Harding)

Sales Information

2nd 3. AMENABLE (AUS) 4yo G
LONHRO (AUS) - CARRIBEAN SUNSET (IRE)
DAMIAN LANE
MICK PRICE & MICHAEL KENT JNR
$1.8
55kg
J MacLean, D Maclean, Mrs A MacLean, C Charteris, Killara Racing (C Lee), T Tonkin, H Bentley, P Sweeney, P Henley, Lifestylin 1 (G Cook), D Hollyman, Edward River Racing (R Taylor), BlueMoon Racing (R Cartledge), Pony Pals (M Williams), Carribean Syndicate (S Cochrane), J Willcox-Litovkin & M Huff

Sales Information

3rd 4. SAVANNAH CLOUD (NZ) 6yo G
SAVABEEL (AUS) - ANNIE HIGGINS (NZ)
THOMAS STOCKDALE
PHILLIP STOKES
$3.9
54.5kg
Wylie Dalziel Roy Higgins Racing (Mgr: W Dalziel), G & C Pastoral Co Pty Ltd (Mgr: V Oldfield), J Roberts, Shangi Higgins (Mgr: D Roe), R Atkinson, M Davies, M Guggenheimer, Tomadachi Ni (Mgr: S Birch), K Warriner, J Lake, Snow Road Thoroughbreds (Mgr: G Mcnulty) & P Cormack

Sales Information

4th 5. WILD PLANET (AUS) 8yo G
ANIMAL KINGDOM (USA) - SALUTATIONS (AUS)
JYE MCNEIL
M, W & J HAWKES
$21
54.5kg

Sales Information

5th 1. BERKSHIRE SHADOW (GB) 5yo G
DARK ANGEL (IRE) - ANGEL VISION (IRE)
MARK ZAHRA
CIARON MAHER
$7.5
59kg

Sales Information

6th 7. WINDSTORM (AUS) 7yo G
REDOUTE'S CHOICE (AUS) - STORM ALERT (AUS)
HARRY COFFEY
JOHN LEEK (JNR)
$19
54kg

Sales Information