A late-season juvenile race will function as a crucial assessment for Forest King, as trainer Tom Charlton aims to gain a clearer perspective on his spring campaign targets.
The gelding is scheduled to compete in the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill this Saturday, following a debut season that featured two starts and a win at Canterbury in February.
When faced with Group competition in the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m), Forest King performed admirably, finishing seventh behind Warwoven, who subsequently competed effectively in the Golden Slipper.
Charlton has stated that the young horse has returned in satisfactory condition and is forward enough to deliver a strong performance at Rosehill.
“He came up a bit short in the Pago Pago. We gave him a break, and he looks to have come back nice enough,” Charlton commented.
“We’ll see what level he gets to this ‘prep’.
“He’s not the biggest horse, but he has improved, as you’d expect. And he’d need to.
“We’ll get him racing and he’ll find where he’s going to be competitive, whether it’s in better grade or similar grade.”
Dylan Gibbons is set to ride Forest King from barrier five, while Zac Lloyd will be aboard the stable’s other representative, Roselyn’s Star, who is also resuming in the Schweppes Handicap (1100m).
The five-year-old enters this race off his most consistent season to date, which concluded with a victory in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in March, and he typically performs well first-up.
“That was a really good win for him. He’s building a nice profile,” Charlton remarked.
“He seems to have come back very well, and 1100 metres at Rosehill suits him. He has drawn slightly awkwardly, but it’s a nice place for him to start.”
Charlton has not yet pinpointed a specific spring program for Roselyn’s Star, but the Magic Millions carnival at the Gold Coast in January is a potential long-term goal.
“There is no real target. There are plenty of races in the spring,” he said.
“I probably have, in the back of my mind, the Magic Millions in January. He qualifies for that, so we’ll probably look to take him back there at some point.”
Keep an eye on the racing odds available at top Australian betting sites for these upcoming races.
