THIS time last year, Tuscan Fire was just days out from the biggest race of his career.
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The Dan O’Sullivan-trained galloper had run in a string of spring features and was preparing for one of the big majors, the Caulfield Cup.
He finished an honest 12th in that race, but this year will be taking a different path in a campaign aimed at his hometown cup.
Tuscan Fire had three runs through the autumn before an infection in one of his legs brought an abrupt end to that preparation.
Now he’s back fit and ready for a return to the track.
O’Sullivan has a plan mapped out for the eight-year-old, who is first-up in this Sunday’s Seymour Cup, 1600m, before either heading to an 1800m race at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day or the Kyneton Cup, 2000m, the following afternoon.
The Ballarat Cup, 2200m, is then hoped to be the horse’s third-up run.
“His record at 2000-plus is really good and it’s a nice little race we can target for,” O’Sullivan said. “Being the home track and on a Saturday, it’s a pretty big deal for the Ballarat Turf Club and I’m pretty keen to be part of it.”
O’Sullivan said Tuscan Fire was heading into Sunday’s Seymour Cup – which he won with Life’s A Bounty in 2005 – to win and believed the horse was in “ripping order.”
“After he has had so much racing over distance, 1600m may be a bit short for him, but in saying that, he has won at 1400m at good level before,” he said.
Stablemate Gottino, who is also heading towards the Ballarat Cup on November 22, will have his second-up run in Saturday’s Avoca Cup, 1860m.
The horse will carry 63kg in the $15,000 race.
tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au
