Richard and Chantelle Jolly will return to Melbourne tomorrow hoping to atone for a near miss in last weekend’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
Stable star Kemalpasa was narrowly beaten into third spot behind Celebrity Queen and Portland Sky in the Caulfield feature and the training duo head to Flemington armed with smart sprinting pair All Banter and Alleboom.
Flemington has been happy hunting ground for the stable and Richard said both horses were in good shape.
“I’m pretty happy with them both,” he said.
“They are both in strong races, but I am sure if they run up to their best they’ll perform well.”
All Banter has won four of six starts, her past two in Melbourne and tackles the $140,000 Bob Hoystead Handicap over 1000m.
A last-start winner of the Listed W J Adams at Caulfield, All Banter faces her strongest field yet, including the McEvoy stable’s multiple Group 1 winner Hey Doc, who will have to give her nine kilograms under the handicap conditions.
“This is obviously a cog harder than what she’s raced again previously, but she probably has more upside than a lot of these,” Richard said.
“She gets in well at the weights that’s the plan: to try and keep her in these races. I’m sure she’ll be thereabouts.”
Alleboom led throughout to win his only start down the Flemington straight and Jolly said the horse had taken some much-needed improvement after he was beaten into third spot at Morphettville behind Pariano. The colt takes on a hot field in the $500,000 Inglis Dash over 1100m.
“I had a feeling going into that run he was vulnerable, I told the owners that, and he copped a bit of pressure up front,” Jolly said.
“The problem with him being a colt. It’s hard to get the weight off him, he’s a gross little bugger.
“It’s a hard race, but I think the trip over will do him good.”
Image: Alleboom will line up for the Richard and Chantelle Jolly stable in Melbourne tomorrow.
