Ceardai chasing back-to-back wins at Beach party race meeting

The Brent Stanley-trained nine-year-old showed plenty of grit in scoring a bold front running victory last weekend and will again meet a similar calibre field on his home track.

The meeting will coincide with Caulfield Cup day in Melbourne, a race that holds fond memories for Stanley, who won the Group 1 feature in 1996 as a 16-year-old apprentice aboard Arctic Scent.

Stanley has enjoyed success in the past with runners he has saddled up on Caulfield Cup day and hopes Ceardai, who will contest the 2400m benchmark 0-58 (race six), can add to that list.

"Every time I've had a runner on Caulfield Cup day somewhere, I've trained a winner, so fingers crossed he can win tomorrow. It's a good omen," he said.

"If they let him lead and don't annoy him too much out in front, he runs well. But it's when he leads and something takes him on mid-race then he folds up a bit.

"When he gets his own way, he keeps on kicking. I'm sure he'll run well (on Saturday)."

Ceardai has been a handy performer for Stanley since his arrival from New Zealand in the latter part of 2020 as a rising six-year-old.

His 44 starts have produced seven wins and eight placings.

But he has never before won two in a row.

READ MORE:

Ceardai will be ridden by Bendigo jockey John Keating, who was in the saddle at Manangatang, and will have seven rides on the program, including one for fellow Bendigo trainer Bob Donat on the maiden Squaw.

Looking ahead, Stanley believes he has two solid chances at Kyneton on Tuesday in the four-year-old mare Aoife and Elle Mcfearsome, who ran third over the same distance (1860m) and at the same venue, earlier this month.

Other strong Bendigo-trained hopes on the program include Zente Dancer, from the Rod Symons stable, in the 1600m maiden (race four) and the Shane Fliedner-trained Allocate in the final event on the eight race program.

Macedon Lodge/Kyneton trainer Liam Howley will saddle up one of the leading contenders in the 2400m benchmark 0-58 in Naval Aviator and will also unveil the first-starter Onlygoldwilldo in the 1400m maiden (race three).

A maiden winner at Geelong in late-August, Naval Aviator, to be ridden by Mitch Aitken, was given a six-week freshen up before resuming with a fourth over 2400m at Swan Hill earlier this month.

On the strength of his Geelong win, the four-year-old gelding should prove tough to beat.

At Horsham on Sunday, Bendigo Cup hopeful Wertheimer will continue his spring campaign in the $60,000 Horsham Cup (2400m).

The Matthew Enright-trained six-year-old chased home fellow Horsham Cup contender Captain Envious for a gallant second in the $50,000 Murtoa Cup (2050m) last start in what was an ideal follow up to his first-up run over 1500m at Bendigo.

Wertheimer has form in the Murtoa Cup.

He finished second in last year's race before going on to place a gallant fourth behind High Emocean in the Bendigo Cup.

Currently 27th in the order of entry for this year's $8.4 million Melbourne Cup, High Emocean, who was third behind Gold Trip in last year's race, will target next Wednesday's $500,000 Group 3 Geelong Cup.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: