Sacred Elixir
Grant Peters
Champion Melbourne jockey Damien Oliver will partner Gr.1 JJ Atkins winner Sacred Elixir in an 800m jumpout at Flemington on Thursday as the Pour Moi three-year-old continues his buildup to the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas.
Sacred Elixir, who was named champion two-year-old at this month's New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards, spelled in Brisbane after his winter campaign there but relocated to Melbourne a fortnight ago.
Pike revealed that Sacred Elixir would resume in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 24 before tackling the $A1 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 8.
No jockey has been confirmed for either race, though Oliver now has the inside running.
"Sacred Elixir looks extremely promising and I can't wait to get him up to the mile of the Guineas and heading on towards the Derby, he looks like a really exiting three-year-old," Pike said.
"I had a look at him last week - I hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks - and he looks like he's grown even more. He's a pretty imposing horse."
Meanwhile, Oliver has been confirmed as the rider for Gr.1 Queensland Oaks winner Provocative in her season-opening run in Saturday's Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield, for which she has been allotted 56.5kg.
Pike said Provocative had good residual fitness from her Queensland winter campaign and the Heatherlie Stakes was a suitable race to commence the preparation.
"The 1700m is short of her best but she'll settle back in the field and I'm expecting her to close the race off nicely," Pike said.
"If she could run in the top six and be hitting the line well, then that will set her up for the Naturalism over 2000m second-up next month." – NZ Racing Desk.
Sacred Elixir, who was named champion two-year-old at this month's New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards, spelled in Brisbane after his winter campaign there but relocated to Melbourne a fortnight ago.
Pike revealed that Sacred Elixir would resume in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on September 24 before tackling the $A1 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 8.
No jockey has been confirmed for either race, though Oliver now has the inside running.
"Sacred Elixir looks extremely promising and I can't wait to get him up to the mile of the Guineas and heading on towards the Derby, he looks like a really exiting three-year-old," Pike said.
"I had a look at him last week - I hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks - and he looks like he's grown even more. He's a pretty imposing horse."
Meanwhile, Oliver has been confirmed as the rider for Gr.1 Queensland Oaks winner Provocative in her season-opening run in Saturday's Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield, for which she has been allotted 56.5kg.
Pike said Provocative had good residual fitness from her Queensland winter campaign and the Heatherlie Stakes was a suitable race to commence the preparation.
"The 1700m is short of her best but she'll settle back in the field and I'm expecting her to close the race off nicely," Pike said.
"If she could run in the top six and be hitting the line well, then that will set her up for the Naturalism over 2000m second-up next month." – NZ Racing Desk.
