Vital Silver (grey horse) chases home Sunlight (right) in the Gilgai Stakes (Image: Racing Photos)
Perth sprinter Vital Silver booked himself a flight to Melbourne for a shot at the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) with a sharp jumpout at Lark Hill on Monday.
Jockey Peter Hall offered a positive assessment of the lightly-raced six-year-old after the 600m hitout, prompting trainer Ben Pearce to lock in a first-up run under lights at The Valley next Friday.
It’ll be the son of Wanted’s third attempt at Group 1 level and Pearce is optimistic he can go one better than his runner-up efforts behind Hey Doc in the Winterbottom Stakes and Loving Gaby in the Manikato Stakes.
“He was really good, Peter Hall jumped him out and he was thrilled with him, he said he felt beautiful and stretched out nice,” Pearce told @theracesWA
“We ran him along for about 600m and his fitness is right where we want it.
“The plan at this stage will be to fly out (of Perth) on Monday and then race on the Friday in the William Reid (Stakes).
“It’s probably shaping up to be a bit stronger than what we originally thought with a couple of those horses from the Newmarket potentially heading there but it is a Group 1 so you expect to bump into good horses.”
WATCH: Vital Silver finishes second in last year’s Manikato Stakes.
Pearce said there are options in Sydney, Adelaide or Brisbane for Vital Silver following the first-up run in the William Reid.
Another Western Australian-trained sprinter, Chris Gangemi’s Rock Magic, is also expected to tackle the final Group 1 of Melbourne’s Festival of Racing.
Rock Magic finished fourth behind Silent Sedition in the 2017 William Reid and was three lengths adrift of Hellbent in the 2018 edition.