Cesarewitch at Newmarket in the mix for Donald McCain-trained Goobinator with winter plans also considered | Racing News
3 min read
Donald McCain is considering a crack at the Together For Racing International Cesarewitch with his improving stayer Goobinator.
The five-year-old is a three-time winner over hurdles, and will go back jumping in the winter, but he has won his last two on the Flat – suggesting he still has more to offer in that sphere.
He holds an entry in the Cesarewitch Trial this weekend but will not take up the option.
« He won’t run this weekend. We have had a bit of a chat, and he would probably sneak in the Cesarewitch with his 4lb penalty, » said McCain.
« There are plusses and minuses, because Paul (Mulrennan) gets on with him very well but I don’t think he’d have the sort of weight Paul could do – and he wouldn’t be the easiest horse in the world to ride.
« He’s fine after Haydock, so the Cesarewitch is definitely an option, but we need to weigh it up against the winter too.
« He’s won on heavy ground over hurdles but he doesn’t really want it. He doesn’t want it too firm either – I’d pulled him out a couple of times before Haydock, because the ground had gone too quick. »
McCain may be better known for his jumpers but he has enjoyed a good summer with his small string of Flat horses, advertised best by the sprinter Russco – who has won five in a row.
« Obviously we bought him as a bit of a project, and he wasn’t drilled into the ground as a two-year-old because that is not how we do things, » said the Cheshire trainer.
« We’ve worked out his trip now, and he’s just quietly improving all the time, and I’d like to think he still is.
« There’s a race at Haydock he could go for and a valuable one at Ascot he might sneak in. But truthfully – and unfortunately for me – he’s got a date in the sales at Newmarket in the autumn as well, because that is what he was bought for.
« I’m quite enjoying the journey, so we won’t be giving him away because he’s a valuable asset at the moment. »
Another prolific winner for the yard is novice chaser Presentandcounting, who has won five of his last six and risen to a rating of 147 – just 1lb less than Cheltenham Festival runner-up Fiddlerontheroof.
« If we could rubber-stamp the form they are all in now for the rest of the winter, I’d sign for that now, » said McCain.
« The positive side of him being rated 147 is that he’s a novice – so his mark should work itself out through the year, because we can run in novice chases, so it’s not the end of the world.
« He wouldn’t be well-in for a race like the Paddy Power so he’ll go for the Listed novice chase at Chepstow in a few weeks. »
