Giadresco scratches Prentice from country cup chance

Matt Giadresco has scratched promising gelding Prentice for Sunday’s $70,000 Esperance Cup (2000m) at the Esperance Turf Club.

Giadresco and Prentice were set to make the trip down south, but the trainer pulled the him out of the race yesterday.

Prentice will be nominated for the $35,000 Mt Barker Cup (2000m) and $100,000 Albany Cup (2100m) and will attempt to win the $120,000 XXXX Gold Bunbury Cup (2200m) on March 25.

The six-year-old resumed on February 11 at Albany where he placed fifth over 1900m, 1.5 lengths behind the winner, Mr Pago.

Giadresco said Prentice would definitely race the Mt Barker and Albany cups.

“I will also nominate him for the Bunbury Cup and I will asses which way is best for him to claim the win,” he said.

Giadresco said jockey Glenn Smith held Prentice too far back in his last start and it was why he finished towards the back.

“The jockey anticipated that there would be speed in the race and sat him last,” he said.

“They all ran very slow and you cannot run him like that.

“It was just one to forget.”

Giadresco said Prentice was sired by the famous Blackfriars, meaning he had solid heritage for long distance races.

“He won a listed race as a two-year-old,” he said.

“Prentice is the same calibre as the horses down there and has been winning with weight. It just depends on the calibre of the horses down there.”

Giadresco said Mitchell Pateman would be asked to ride Prentice again after winning back-to-back races in the saddle in January.

“He seems to gel well with the horse,” he said.

Giadresco said six-year-old sprinter Profit Street would continue a long spell after a four-race campaign late last year, with the aim of racing in the winter and spring carnivals.

“He had an awesome campaign last prep,” he said.

“Profit Street is set for a big late autumn, early winter campaign.

“I want to win some more stakes races and then give him another let up until the spring.

“We will put him in what we can win in the winter, because he runs well in the wet.”