After running half a dozen horses at the last Towac Park meet and finding not much, Brian Gentle has just one entry for Orange’s races on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He will be debuting three-year-old gelding Exterminate in the Oriana Orange Maiden Handicap over 1300 metres.
Gentle said he’ll look to be building Exterminate to running over a mile, which is the distance he thinks will suit it, but wouldn’t be surprised if a few people are surprised by the debutant.
“If [the track] plays fair he’s a fair chance to run over the top of them,” Gentle said.
“He’s shown some good ability.”
He said he isn’t putting a cap on Exterminate’s potential, but said a placing wasn’t out of the equation.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all but it depends on how the track plays,” he said.
“A lot of his early trials and preparation was on the Towac track, generally you get that home track advantage of up to 3 lengths.”
If he was running 1000 they’d run him off his legs, hopefully he’ll have a bit of balance.
- Brian Gentle
The Bendigo and Orange-based trainer said Exterminate will look to sit in the pack and “run over the top of them” as opposed to racing out in front, but it all relies on a fair track at Towac Park.
“He’s trialled really well, good ability and he’ll do well next preparation and goes just over 1300,” Gentle said.
“If he was running 1000 they’d run him off his legs, hopefully he’ll have a bit of balance … he’ll be mid-field running with the pack, come home at the end.”
Exterminate ran second in a trial run at Bathurst last week, emulating the same result at the same venue on June 3 before a 21-week spell.
The gelding was brought in Dubbo by Gentle’s father, and the pair co-own the horse, which Gentle said would be a nice touch.
Leading Dubbo-based jockey Greg Ryan also features in the race and he’ll ride Cortesta for Golden Slipper-winning trainer Gary Portelli, another trainer with a connection to Orange.
Only two Dubbo trainers will be making the trip to Orange Towac Park on Friday and they will go head-to-head in the epic Broadley and Haydon Benchmark 50 Handicap.
The race is the third on the card but it’s the fifth event which is of interest for the only two Dubbo trainers making the trip to Orange.
Kody Nestor and Dar Lunn both have hopes in the epic 2100m Broadley and Haydon Benchmark 58 Handicap (2100m).
Nestor has the class runner in the field but it comes at a price, with Perpetual Motion set to carry a hefty 63kg.
Carrying big weight is nothing new for the gelding after he carried 62.5kg at Scone last time out and was only beaten late on.
Grant Buckley has the ride for Nestor while apprentice Alena Skerritt will ride Douro for Lunn.
The seven-year-old has run further than 2000m before but not in his four starts since joining Lunn’s stables earlier this year.
He has previously won over 2018m for trainer Terry Evans.
Racing starts at 1.30pm on Friday.