Cassidy Confident Comepsa Will Handle The Going
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday June 7, 2008
COMEPSA was the last horse to get onto Kembla Grange on Thursday and the run proved to jockey Larry Cassidy that a heavy track will not trouble the four-year-old in today's Listed June Stakes (1100m) at Randwick.
The Gwenda Markwell-trained gelding will resume in the $100,000 race and is ready to fire after two searching gallops on the Kembla course proper in the past week."He felt really good," Cassidy said after Thursday's hit-out."It's a big step up in class but he is a bit stronger and we've always thought he would be up to a race like this (one)."It was very heavy out there and he seemed to get through it all right but he was on the bit all the way. The test will come once I let him off the bit."Comepsa galloped after race four at Kembla on Thursday as stewards were calling a halt to the meeting because of the condition of the track.He also had a good workout between races last Saturday, coming home in his final 600m in 34.19sec."If it was one of the first couple of races (today) I would be very confident he would handle the track,"' Cassidy said."But (the race is) late in the day and by then the track will be chopped up ."It's unusual for Markwell to start the campaign of a promising type such as Comepsa in a black type company but there were not that many other options for him."I'm very happy with the way he has returned to the stable and I wouldn't be sending him up against this class if I didn't think he had the ability to handle it," Markwell said."It's a big ask and the wet track is just another question mark with him."The only other time he has been on a heavy track was his first start when he ran second, so it's hard to know whether he will get through it."Punters rallied behind Comepsa yesterday shortening his TAB Sportsbet quote from $9 to $7.50.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury
