Russian Camelot (Image: Racing Photos)
Trainer Danny O'Brien says race fitness will not be a deciding factor for Russian Camelot in Saturday week's $5 million All-Star Mile.
Russian Camelot galloped strongly on the course proper at Flemington on Tuesday morning to prove his readiness for the 1600-metre race at The Valley, where he will have his first race start since his unplaced Melbourne Cup performance last spring.
But that time away from the racetrack does not bother his trainer, who purposefully set the import the task of a first-up win in what looms as the elite 1600-metre race for the season.
"He's super," O'Brien reported on Tuesday. "He galloped with Paradee on the course proper this morning and his work was excellent.
"He's really looking to go to the races now and we're looking forward to Saturday week."
Russian Camelot's main All-Star dangers appear to be mares Probabeel (two runs) and Arcadia Queen (one run), who have already kicked off their autumn campaigns. But O'Brien said the lack of a run under his belt means little for a horse like Russian Camelot.
"I think it's the right plan to have him fresh and going in first-up into that race and I wouldn't change anything," the Flemington-based trainer said.
"This is the right way to prepare him to give him his best chance to win that race.
"It's going to be very hard. Arcadia Queen and Probabeel have both come back right at their best and at their best, they are very, very smart.
"I don't think that it (race fitness) is a disadvantage. He doesn't need to have a run to bring him on. He was very good in the Makybe (Diva Stakes) first-up (when second) and he won the South Australian Derby off a two-run prep, so he comes to hand very quickly."
While her galloping partner remains at home his Saturday, Paradee again steps up in class to the Group 1 Australian Cup after an impressive display at her latest outing to win the G2 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield.
"She meets the same sort of horses she met the other day other than Fifty Stars and a couple of others, but she's come on very well since Caulfield and she'll acquit herself well," he said.
O'Brien also intends running Oaks winner Miami Bound in the Australian Cup but does so without ass much confidence of victory.
"Against these sort of horses she needs a soft track and she is a 2400-metre horse," O'Brien said. "We were potentially going to run her at Randwick on Saturday but it's likely to be a firm track up there, so she'll go up to Sydney next week."