Enabling can rule from inside alley
The luxury of a rails gate may prove the winning edge for the John Size-trained Enabling in the Wayfoong Centenary Bowl (1,800m), at Happy Valley tonight.
With the rail in the B position, inside draws are usually gold, so Enabling (Douglas Whyte) could not have a more suitable starting position in what looks a very competitive Class Three feature.
The son of High Chaparral came to Size with a consistent record in six juvenile starts in Britain, but his breeding and capabilities suggested he should make improvement with time. That has proved to be right, with Enabling improving every start and, since being stretched out to slightly longer trips this term, he has found his way to the winner's circle twice from his last three starts, coincidentally, from the pole position at the start each time.
The most recent win came on October 26, when the gelding trailed the leaders over this course, then put away his rivals by more than two lengths once he got clear in the straight. Enabling is up to the top of the weights for that victory but is up to doing the job again if he continues his steady improvement.
The Cup promises a sound speed, with quite a few of the runners habitually on, in or near the lead, and that will likely see some of them steadied to sit behind rather than cut their own throats by contesting.
However it plays out, Whyte will have all the options on Enabling, but he concedes quite a bit of weight to main dangers, Fortune Winner (Zac Purton) and Private Road (Tim Clark).
Both horses also take a position and are in top form.
The Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Fortune Winner is back to his old self after a season in the wilderness, winning his first two this term before he was unlucky last time out after a slow start cost him vital field position.
Caspar Fownes' Private Road made it three wins from his past three at the city track in Class Four second-up, and the sharp drop in weights gives him every chance to step up in this higher class.
