Horse Racing News: Little Jack Aiming for Third Straight Win at Caulfield

(Caulfield, [Current Date]) – Melbourne’s recent spell of cold weather has given trainer Alex Rae the opportunity to again showcase his up-and-coming stayer, Little Jack, at Caulfield Racecourse. The talented gelding is shooting for his third consecutive victory after winning at Sale and Caulfield in his previous outings.

Little Jack will be running in the Sportsbet Nobody Does It Easier Handicap (2000m) on Saturday, and Rae had contemplated sending the horse for a break but has decided to keep him in training and continue his preparation. “It’s pretty unpleasant at the moment in Melbourne, so we thought while he’s thriving in the stable environment, we would give him another run,” Rae said.

The trainer is prioritizing the horse’s wellbeing, but with Little Jack’s impressive recent form, they’ve decided to give him another chance on the track. “The spring will come up too soon from a programming perspective, so we’ll give him his month off after Saturday, or at the end of July, and then just a light spring and hopefully he can continue to improve for next autumn,” Rae explained.

After a comprehensive defeat on debut over 1200m at Kilmore, Little Jack has gone on to claim four wins and two second-place finishes in his six subsequent starts. The step up to 2000m at Caulfield last time, where he scored a 2-¾ length victory, was a bit of a surprise to Rae, but it showed the gelding’s potential as a stayer.

“We’ve only looked after him and then all-of-a-sudden we get him to a mile-and-a-quarter, where things are in his favour, and he goes to a new level,” Rae said. “Often, they can take another step forward and we’re hoping on Saturday he can improve again.”

While Little Jack has been penalized with a 2.5kg increase in weight for his impressive last start win, Rae believes it’s a fair adjustment. “He’s been penalized two-and-a-half kilos, but we think it’s a just penalty to pay for his impressive win last start,” the trainer said.

Rae expects Little Jack to continue to improve his racing manners with maturity, and he is hopeful the track conditions will be favorable on Saturday, although the gelding will run regardless of the surface. “We won’t be pulling him out, irrespective of the conditions on Saturday, but we feel he is more dynamic if he can get on some firmer footing,” Rae concluded.

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