Toughening up trip to Adelaide for Genteel

Flemington-based trainer Steve Richards hopes a trip across the border to Adelaide for Genteel will help with the promising stayer’s long-term progression.

Genteel has raced just five times to date, for a solitary win in maiden grade at Seymour, but Richards views the Sportsbet Handicap (2250m) at Morphettville Parks on Saturday as being a chance to toughen the gelding for the rigours of racing.

A son of So You Think, Genteel has been taken along slowly by Richards with the gelding not racing until the final week of his three-year-old season.

After that start, Genteel was put away to do some growing, returning in December over 1400m at Geelong finishing down the track.

A trip to Camperdown on January 18, to finish fifth in a maiden, was followed by his 1600m maiden win at Seymour before a last start seventh at Moonee Valley over 2040m on February 28.

“He went to The Valley over 2000 metres at his last run and probably didn’t handle the tight track there,” Richards said.

“We think he’s a horse that will certainly get further and it looks a nice race over in Adelaide to give him a crack at.

“He’s a So You Think, a typical New Zealand looking stayer and he still looks 12 months away from being at his top.

“He’s a tall horse and mentally, and physically, he’s not quite there yet, but is slowly getting there.

“A trip away like this will do him the world of good as he’s got a bit of furnishing out still to do.

“It was a pass mark the other night, and he has gone along nicely since, so we’ve decided to give him a crack at this type of race, and we’ll see what we come up with.”

Following the scratching of the Danny O’Brien-trained Cupid’s Conquest, Genteel is the least experienced of the 10 runners in Saturday’s line-up.