Quiet ride key to Fearless producing Champagne Stakes finish

Connections of Champagne Stakes contender Fearless will revert to riding the colt cold as they bid to harness the youngster’s best asset.

Co-trainer Paul Snowden felt Fearless became too competitive when settling midfield and between runners in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) last start, tiring late to finish sixth.

His efforts prior to that included a closing second to Prost in the Canonbury Stakes (1100m) when he came from last, and a slashing sixth in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield when he motored home from near the rear.

The Melbourne feature has proven to be the form two-year-old race of the carnival, producing three of the first four horses across the line in the Golden Slipper including winner Lady Of Camelot, while Blue Diamond fourth placegetter Eneeza claimed last weekend’s Percy Sykes Stakes, relegating Lady Of Camelot to second.

If Fearless can reproduce his Blue Diamond effort in Saturday’s Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick, Snowden believes he can figure in the finish.

“When you reflect on him, his best runs have been when he’s been left alone and has come with one run, a la the Blue Diamond when he had a red light on him,” Paul Snowden said.

“It’s the form of the carnival. It has carried on through, even with the filly (Lady Of Camelot) running second on the weekend, she’d been up for quite a long while. It has worked out to be a lovely race and it has been proven in many races this carnival.”

In that vein, Snowden wants to see Fearless ridden conservatively at Randwick, not only to help him run out the mile but to give the colt every chance to unleash his finishing sprint.

“I think that’s how we’re going to approach it. Off the good draw (barrier two), we’re not going to worry where he is, we’ll just leave him alone, get on the right horses’ backs and give him one last shot at them,” he said.

“Then it’s just all about running the mile out and that’s pretty much an unknown for a lot of the other runners as well.”

Fearless will be among three stakes runners for the Snowden stable on the final day of the Sydney carnival, along with Huetor and Unspoken, who go head-to-head in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m).

Huetor is being readied for another winter assault in Brisbane and Unspoken can also book a trip north with a strong showing at Randwick.