When Daggers claimed victory in his first two starts as a three-year-old, the team at Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young’s stable believed he could be their star for the spring season.
Following those early wins, he finished third over 1400m at Flemington, then moved up to 1600m for the Group 2 Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley. Unfortunately, he couldn’t handle the longer trip, leading to a break ahead of a possible short-course race.
A virus just before the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington dashed further spring ambitions.
Now, after a break and a couple of jump-outs at Cranbourne, Daggers is ready for his comeback in the $1 million Inglis Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
“I had big hopes for him as a headline horse this spring, but when he got a virus, we decided to spell him straight away,” Young explained.
“He’s been training well and his trials have been excellent. He’s even had a jump-out down the straight at Flemington, which gives him an edge.”
“We had him jump-out before heading into the spring, but he wasn’t quite right, so we gave him time off to recover.”
Though Young was disappointed that Daggers missed out on the Caulfield Guineas and Coolmore Stud Stakes last spring, she remains optimistic that the colt can shine on the big stage.
Young confirmed that Daggers will focus on races in the 1200m to 1400m range, with Saturday’s race being a great starting point for his prep, even though it’s restricted to Inglis graduates.
“He’s in good form, and it’s a $1 million race, so it’s a great opportunity to begin his campaign,” Young said.
“He’s shown he’s strong at 1200 to 1400 metres, having won over distances of both 1200 and 1300 metres.”
“It would have been great to see him in the Guineas, but he’s an I Am Invincible, bred to race over shorter distances.”
“He’s looking great, fresh and ready to go, with a powerful build. He’s filled out and has a strong hindquarter. He was a little weaker last prep around the hips, but now he’s in peak condition and ready to perform on Saturday.”
