Splintex has signalled he will be a force this autumn with a brilliant barrier trial performance against a number of carnival aspirants.
Splintex Stars At Bumper Trial Session
The Group One Galaxy will be the autumn goal for talented sprinter Splintex, who was among the standouts when a host of stars stepped out at the Randwick barrier trials.
The Mark Newnham-trained entire comfortably took out the opening 900m heat, defeating Group One Empire Rose Stakes winner Shout The Bar by almost three lengths.
“Hopefully we might get him through to the Galaxy because he’s got good 1100 metre form at Rosehill, he handles soft ground which is generally what we get on Golden Slipper day, and he’d get a fairly light weight,” Newnham said.
The four-year-old has won five of his 13 starts and returns after a mixed spring in which he finished just behind Sydney’s best sprinters in the Concorde Stakes and The Shorts before two unplaced runs in Melbourne.
“He didn’t really adapt to Melbourne in a couple of runs there in the spring but there are some nice races here for him,” Newnham said.
“He’s coming up well.”
Mizzy took out the other Group and Listed heat in good style, defeating Prague who made late ground to edge out Dreamforce for second.
New trainer Annabel Neasham will meet with owners Aquis to formulate a plan for Prague, who could return in the Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 6.
“He was a little slow away which is how he was trialling last prep as well, so we will work on that,” Neasham said.
“But I loved the way he closed off.”
There were six two-year-old heats on Thursday with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Kalashnikov among those to impress when he burst through the pack to take out his trial.