By Daithi Harvey
Top class filly English (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) will bid for a second Group 1 win when she lines up in the G1 UBET Classic at Morphettville on Saturday. Ben Melham has been booked to take over from the suspended Blake Shinn and co-trainer Adrian Bott is pleased with the filly's preparation and hopes she can improve significantly from her slightly disappointing run last time when sixth in the G1 Schweppes All Aged S. at Randwick Apr. 15. Bott and fellow trainer Gai Waterhouse are also leaving nothing to chance as they prepare for the filly to race left handed for the first time in the 1200m contest for fillies and mares. “English has been down there for a week working the other way,” Bott told Racing And Sports. “She is racing in great form and her work in Melbourne has been good. She has been racing on heavy tracks in Sydney and it has been good for her to see firmer tracks.”
Having beaten Black Heart Bart (Aus) (Blackfriars {Aus}) in the 2016 running of the G1 All-Aged S. English looked set to double her top level tally in the G1 TJ Smith S. Apr. 1 only to be collared in the dying strides by Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}). That form would leave her very hard to beat in Morphettville. “If English reproduces the TJ run I don't think there is a mare in the country that could go with her on Saturday,” Bott added.
In other stable news Waterhouse and Bott have lodged an appeal against their conviction and A$5,000 fine after recently being found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing after an inquiry into the substitution of horses listed to gallop in a televised trackwork session. The pair admitted galloping Stampede (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Fabrizio (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Sort After (Aus) (Wanted {Aus}) at Randwick Apr. 4 in place of Serena Bay (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), Debonairly (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and English but pleaded not guilty to the charge. The gallops on the course proper were restricted to horses scheduled to compete at Randwick four days later and all horses wore racing colours. A date has yet to be set for the appeal hearing.
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