Promising gelding Martell will face his sternest test to date when he heads to Wanganui on Saturday to tackle the Balance Accountants Open 1200.
It will be the furthest the five-year-old gelding has travelled away from trainer Jim Collett’s Matamata base, and his handler doesn’t think it will pose any issues.
“He raced at Taranaki one time. Wanganui is a bit further, but he travels well,” Collett said.
The son of El Roca has won three of his four starts this preparation, including his last two outings over 1200m and 1230m at Tauranga and Rotorua respectively, and Collet believes he is capable of adding to his six-win haul this weekend.
“I am really happy with his work this week. He is going to come in with a nice, light weight (52kg), and will be a realistic chance,” he said.
While confident in his horse’s ability, Collett said Martell will face his sternest test to date against a handy line-up, but it will be good to get a gauge on his gelding ahead of a potential trip to the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival next month.
“This is a bit of a test, this will be the best field he has lined up against,” Collett said. “He hasn’t run against horses like Old Town Road, Tavis Court and co.
“He hasn’t done a lot wrong. He has only had the 15 starts and he is a very genuine horse. I think he could be up to this lot.
“If he goes well on Saturday, we might have a crack at one of the days at Hawke’s Bay. There is an open sprint on the 28th of September.
“He may have two more starts, if that. As soon as the tracks get firm I will give him a nice break until the autumn where he should be a stronger horse again.”
Collett likes to space Martell’s races, with the gelding generally having a month between runs, and it is something Collett intends to continue.
“He loves a month between runs. When he is stronger he may be able to cope with more, but at this stage I like to space his races,” Collett said.
If Martell continues on his current trajectory, Collett said there will likely be stakes targets for the gelding next preparation.
“This time next year he might be a Foxbridge Plate (Gr.2, 1200m) horse,” he said. “That is a long way off, but if he got up in the ratings a bit, there is not a lot on offer for him and you get to a stage where you have got to have a crack at some of those races.”
Martell is currently a $3.90 Fixed Odds favourite with TAB Bookmakers for Saturday ahead of Spencer ($5) and Saint Bathans ($5.50).