Tuesday, 9 February 2010: Talented three-year-old Tollesprit could use Saturday's Schweppervescence Plate at Moonee Valley as a springboard to the Newmarket Handicap.
 | | Photo by Racing and Sports | |
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It's not a traditional lead-up to the Group 1 sprint at Flemington but trainer Shane Fliedner is taking a confidence boosting path to better races with his talented gelding.
Tollesprit 
won two of three starts as a juvenile then during his spring three-year-old campaign raced in stakes grade his entire preparation.
Although failing to break through, he ran some top races, culminating in a luckless 2.5 length eighth in the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes behind Headway.
Rather than do the same in the autumn, Fliedner dropped Tollesprit back in grade for his fresh-up run down the straight 1200m at Flemington and he returned to winning form, cruising home from well back to score over Captain Coltish.
“He was only three-quarters fit to get him ready for some races in the future,” Fliedner said.
“He'll head towards Moonee Valley for the three-year-old race and if he happened to win it he could end up in the Newmarket.”
Saturday's set weights and penalties race over 1200m will be a far easier assignment than taking on the likes of fellow three-year-olds Black Caviar and Wanted in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes but Fliedner is keen to see the gelding continue his good form before returning to the top level.
