Brisbane raid on cards for Sepals after recovery
Cliff Brown, the trainer, is set to continue preparations for a Queensland venture featuring his Group 1 winner Sepals.
Sepals claimed victory in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last spring, representing Brown's first elite-level win upon his 2021 return from a Singapore engagement.
The primary aim for Brown is the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) over 1400m at Eagle Farm on June 13, but he indicated readiness to abandon plans should the four-year-old gelding encounter problems.
Potentially, the stable boasts an additional Stradbroke hopeful courtesy of Von Hauke's triumph in Saturday's Listed Golden Mile (1600m) held at Bendigo.
Sepals placed fourth in his seasonal reappearance over 1200m in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington before Brown headed north to Sydney, installing the gelding as a short-priced elect in the Doncaster Prelude (1500m) at Rosehill March 28.
That outing saw Sepals below par, as Brown attributed to an excessive weight and a weary track at Rosehill worn from Sydney Carnival duties, with the gelding still lacklustre on his Melbourne return.
Originally, Brown considered dispatching Sepals back to Sydney for the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick April 18, but chose a brief paddock freshen-up.
"He had 10 days off and he's come back in tremendous order," Brown said.
"He just wasn't himself, but he seems right now.
"I don't think he appreciated the track up in Sydney, but just afterwards when we got him home, he just wasn't himself.
"We know him intimately and he wasn't right.
"I gave him a jump-out, which was OK, without being great, but then he had the 10 days off and I thought, if he's OK, we'll be able to continue on and if he's not, we'll go to the paddock.
"At this point he seems good and if he's right, we'll head up to Queensland, and he can have a run at the end of the month with the aim of hopefully getting him to the Stradbroke."
Visit online bookmakers to find the best racing odds for the Stradbroke Handicap.
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