GREAT mates Barry Lockwood and BJ Smith have worked some of their magic on a couple of previously maligned gallopers who go head to head at Doomben on Saturday.
Smith has former Victorian ALBURQ absolutely flying.
A winner of just one from 30 in Victoria, Alburq caught the eye first up for Smith at Eagle Farm, but in typical style, filled the minor placing – the 16th of his career.
Next time out though, he showed he was a different horse this time around, breezing past hot favourite Zavaboom for career win number two.
Sent across the road to Doomben, his task looked tougher from gate 12, but Boris Thornton gave him a 10/10 and he again savaged the line.
Standing in his way for a hat-trick is Lockwood’s first up plunge winner PETRONIUS.
Off the back of a slick trial, Petronius was backed from $16 down to $9 at the jump and beat a deep field of Benchmark 80 rivals.
The conditions of Saturday’s race don’t suit him as well, as he meets ENTERPRISE POMME (4th) some 3.5kg worse, but Lockwood obviously has him in good shape after the gelding’s previous campaign in Sydney fizzled out meekly in March.
The sticking point this week is likely the wet track, as he’s been soundly beaten the last two times he’s struck a Heavy.
Alburq might be the more comfortable of the pair on wet ground, having placed on the Heavy down south and also being close up on Soft 7 ground.
Lockwood and Smith train in close proximity at Eagle Farm after forming a bond in Sydney many decades ago. Being a fly on the wall as the pair reminisce about past glories is a thing of beauty!
For Lockwood, it’s been a challenging time health-wise, as documented in the News Corp media this week.
I remarked to him at the track a couple of weeks back how well his team had been going of late and he quipped back: “it’s a lot easier when you’re there to train them!”
Lockwood’s Doomben team also includes sharp three-year-old JOHNNY ROCKER, who gave the much-spruiked GOLDEN BOOM something to think about for a stride or two at the Sunshine Coast when first up.
His clash with SPIRITUALISED looks one of the highlights of the day at Doomben.
Article by Nathan Exelby, as published on the Thoroughbred News