SUNDAY'S $100,000 Wellington Boot is shaping as one of the most high-class races the local region has seen after the release of the official fields yesterday.
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With renowned metropolitan trainers John O'Shea, Gary Moore and Gary Portelli all potentially having horses in action, the Statewide Sheds Wellington Boot (1100m) will be a real highlight of the Wellington Boot carnival.
The racing will begin on Saturday with a six-race meeting at Wellington Jockey Club before Sunday's main eight-race meeting.
The highly-rated Takedown, trained by globetrotting trainer Gary Moore, accepted on Thursday and drew barrier eight for the Wellington Boot.
However, the Stratum x Apamea gelding was also accepted at Rosehill on Saturday and it is yet to be decided whether Moore will race the two-year-old in Sydney or Wellington.
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On Wednesday, Moore spoke of his preference to race at Wellington.
"I am leaning toward the Wellington Boot because we are confident the horse can perform well there but the owners will have the last say on this," he said.
Godolphin-backed trainer John O'Shea will have Igraine jumping from barrier nine, with the filly looking for her first professional win in her fifth start.
O'Shea will have two chances at Wellington with the lightly-raced Transcript jumping from barrier one in the Help Em Shearing Maiden Plate (1400m).
Portelli, also one of Sydney's leading trainers, will have the talented Racy at Wellington on Sunday, looking for her first win since December of last year.
One man key to cancel out the raid by the metro trainers is Muswellbrook trainer Pat Farrell.
Farrell's filly Alart will line up from barrier two in Sunday's rich event and the trainer feels he's in with a real chance.
"With any luck, we should get away with this," he said.
"She's going that well and we've kept her for this race."
Alart has won two from four and is coming off a respectable fifth to Headwater in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill.
Her form prior included a scintillating run at Dubbo where she beat For Me Dad (another Wellington Boot runner) by one-and-a-half lengths over 1000m in 55.95 seconds.
"She almost broke the course record when she won that day and she gave them six lengths head start at the home turn," Farrell said.
"Her attitude is great. She's not a rat bag and she does what you tell her to do."
Farrell, who has won the Wellington Boot before, has booked leading country hoop Greg Ryan to ride Alart.
He quickly asked to retain the ride on the Excellent Art filly after she ran in the Silver Slipper Stakes.
"She'll be up on the speed and it's going to be a tough race, but my biggest advantage is having Greg Ryan on board because he knows the track so well," Farrell said.
"I think she'll win in the city in her next preparation."
Farrell identified the Portelli-trained Racy as the horse to beat.
