Gold Coast looms but Sydney first for Exceed And Excel colt Hard To Say
Hard To Say (Exceed And Excel) will stay in Sydney this weekend instead of making a return trip to Queensland, but his Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer still has his sights set on the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) with the promising colt.
The Dynamic Syndications-owned juvenile, a last-start runner-up to Palazzo Spirit (Spirit Of Boom) in the Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1000m) on December 11, was accepted for the B J McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in Brisbane as well as the two-year-old race at Randwick, both on Sunday.
Deamer confirmed yesterday that Hard To Say, who ran fourth in the ATC Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) behind Sejardan (Sebring) in October and finished sixth to Lady Laguna (Overshare) at Rosehill in November, would attempt to clinch a berth in the January 15 $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic by contesting the Drinkwise Plate (1100m) in Sydney.
Christian Reith, who rode Hard To Say at Rosehill, has been booked for the ride on the colt at Randwick.
“It’s three weeks (to the Magic Millions) and, at the moment, we’re outside the border (ballot cut-off) but the horse is doing well, so we’re just going to keep pushing on,” Deamer said.
“He was still a bit green and he ran around a bit, but he knuckled down and hit the line very strongly in the Phelan Ready, which was good to see.
“The extra 100 metres on Sunday should suit him and Christian Reith knows him very well. He has a good barrier and, at this stage, he’ll be running on a firm track again, so it all looks good for him.”
Although Hard To Say is preparing for his fourth race start, and already had a road trip to Queensland, the colt has shown Deamer no signs of discontent.
“After his first run he had two weeks off and after Brisbane he had another two days off just out at the farm and he’s holding again really well,” he said.
“Touch wood, he hasn’t shown any signs of shin soreness. He’s an easy going colt, he’s very easy to handle. He’s always been very professional ever since we’ve had him.
“Even when we sent him to the Gold Coast, (caretaker trainer) Mel Eggleston said he was a cool little dude.”
Deamer has a growing association with Dean and Adam Watt’s Dynamic Syndications but is better known for taking on their tried horses.
However, the Newcastle horseman was entrusted with two of their 2021 Magic Millions-purchased yearlings and Hard To Say is already making his mark.
A $160,000 purchase from the draft of Eureka Stud, which offers a Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) half-sister to the colt as Lot 1195 at the Magic Millions next month, Hard To Say is one of three winners out of the Blue Diamond Preview (F) (Listed, 1000m) winner Malasun (Red Ransom), herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Stokehouse (Anabaa) and the Macau stakes-placed Hostwin Epanoui (More Than Ready).
“Dynamic has been a huge supporter of mine the last couple of years and earlier this year at the sales, they said they might buy me one or two and when I got up there, they said, ‘come and have a look at this one’ and it went from there,” Deamer recalled.
“They bought me two yearlings up there at the Gold Coast and the Magic Millions was the plan, like everyone else, so it’s good to get this close and hopefully we can get there.”
Deamer has added winkers to Hard To Say for Sunday’s race.
“He does everything right in trackwork, but just when he gets in amongst horses in a race he’s a little bit field shy, so hopefully this will give him a little bit of confidence,” he said.
“I didn’t want to go the whole way with blinkers. Hopefully it does the trick.”
In an open race, Hard To Say (barrier six) was installed as the $4.80 favourite ahead of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Command Approved (Spirit Of Boom) ($5.50), Wealthy Investor (Capitalist) ($6.50), Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution) ($6.50) and emergency Mills (Snitzel) ($6.50).
Deamer said: “You’d imagine there’ll be a hot tempo, being a two-year-old race, so we will just come out and Christian Reith will put him where he’s comfortable. He knows that he will hit the line strongly.”