FORBES will host a Carnival Of Cups meeting on Sunday afternoon and Toby Vautin is hoping to take out the feature event. Vautin has two runners in the $12,240 Forbes Services Memorial Club Final and both were impressive winners in the heats.
Vautin will drive Playful Fella while Casey Williams will partner Early Decision with both horses set to start off the front row.
“It was great to see Playful Fella finally win a race this time in, he has been a little bit frustrating for me and funnily enough I only nominated him for the heats so Early Decision had a travelling companion,” Vautin said.
“Playful Fella won a number of races early in his career and I decided to give him a good long break after a run at Menangle in January last year. I thought he had the makings of a nice horse and the break might take him to the next level but he has come back and he is not the same horse.”
Playful Fella defeated Tuapeka Glory in a heat but Vautin has nominated the Wendy Turnbull trained runner as the hardest to beat.
“I was able to beat Tuapeka Glory in the heat but it has drawn barrier one this Sunday so it is the logical horse to beat. I’ll be trying to get the front early and if I can’t I’ll race up on the pace because that’s where he likes to be.
“I actually think Early Decision is the better of my two chances, I’m driving Playful Fella because he can be a bit of a handful to drive.”
Early Decision has been plagued by bad barrier draws recently and that trend continued this weekend with the gelding set to start from barrier six.
“I think he has drawn inside gate five once in his last fourteen or fifteen starts, he is the most honest horse you could find. He tries hard every start you give him and he’ll just need a little bit of luck in the early stages.
“I will be instructing Casey to come out on him early and look to slot in somewhere. The owners wanted to give Casey a chance to drive him because she helps out around the stable when she can, it was definitely the right thing to do.”
Early Decision won his heat by more than ten metres and Vautin is confident the gelding can win more races if he can get some luck with the barrier draws.
“His luck will come, hopefully he gets the luck on Sunday. If I was to run first and second this weekend I reckon it would make my day a great one.”
Forbes will run seven races on Sunday with the first timed to begin at 1:20pm.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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