Long game for Amorino
Ascot summer carnival plans will be devised for Amorino after the in-form sprinter tackles Saturday's $100,000 Grandstand Cup (1500m).
A dominant winner at four of his past five starts, Amorino's blistering form convinced owner Elio Galante and trainer Grant Williams to shelve plans to send him to the paddock.
Amorino, who won the Bun- bury Stakes (1400m) last Sunday week and Cyril Flower Stakes (1200m) last month, has never raced beyond 1400m in his 19 starts.
The Grandstand Cup will determine whether he is set for the $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) or the Group 1 $500,000 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) next summer.
"He's going really well and Grant's really happy with him," Galante said.
"We just want to see whether he will get a strong 1600 so we can set him for the Railway. If not he'll go the Winterbottom and be kept fresh for the 1200."
Amorino relished the addition of blinkers in the Bunbury Stakes, running on from eighth on the turn to beat Watermans Bay by 2½ lengths.
It was the four-year-old's fourth win since Galante transferred him to WA from the stables of top Sydney trainer Gerald Ryan.
Galante's classy mare, Angel Of Mercy, is back with Ryan for her final racing campaign.
Angel Of Mercy won the Northam Cup (1600m) by four lengths last October and ran an eye-catching fourth first-up in the Bunbury Stakes.
"She flew out last Tuesday and is back with Gerald Ryan," Galante said.
"She'll probably have two or three runs during the Sydney carnival and then go up to the Gold Coast for the broodmare sale in May."
Angel Of Mercy has been nominated for the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
"We only put her in to see what else was around," Galante said.
"She might not run. There is a race the following Saturday if she doesn't - the Epona Stakes for fillies and mares over 1900."
Galante and Williams also have Gottabeyou set for a 1000m race at Ascot on Saturday.
Gottabeyou was scratched by stewards before race eight at Ascot last Wednesday week when a puncture mark and blood were found on her neck.
Stewards are no closer to sett- ing a date for an inquiry into the incident. They are still waiting to hear from the WA ChemCentre about the results of samples taken from Gottabeyou.
·WA filly Miss Rose De Lago will tackle the $120,000 Alexandra Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
It will be the third run in the three-year-old's Melbourne campaign, following a first-up third in the Typhoon Tracy Stakes (1200m) and fifth behind Solicit in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m) at Flemington earlier this month.
·Glen Boss has had the start of a careless-riding suspension deferred a day, enabling him to ride Paris Match in the Keith Nolan Classic (1600m) at Kembla Grange on Sunday.
"We just want to see whether he will get a strong 1600 so we can set him for the Railway.""Amorino's owner *Elio Galante *
