By Michael Cox
Jamie Kah showed her iron will, strength and fight in a finish on Saturday but it is her soft hands that trainer Michael Hickmott hopes can help stayer Franked (GB) (Frankel {GB}) produce his best in Monday's G2 Adelaide Cup at Morphettville.
Kah produced what trainer David Hayes called "an eleven out of ten ride" on Harlem (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in Saturday's G1 Australian Cup at Flemington, her first G1 victory.
The record-setting jockey moved to Melbourne in January but returns to Adelaide for the first time since for Monday's G2 Adelaide Cup in which she rides Hickmott's impressive last-start winner.
"Franked is still doing a lot wrong, he doesn't quite now how to relax and settle into his racing, and that's why I think Jamie Kah is going to really suit the horse," Hickmott told TDN AusNZ . "She has an amazing set of hands and an amazing ability to get horses to relax. If she can get him to relax early, and they happen to run along at a good tempo, I won't be surprised to see him running home and hitting the line strongly."
"She has an amazing set of hands and an amazing ability to get horses to relax." - Trainer, Michael Hickmott
Franked may be a 5-year-old but Hickmott said the ex-Andre Fabre-trained import – bought for 32,000 guineas at the 2017 Tattersalls HIT Sale– is still developing both in terms of race craft and physicality.
"He is a really nice horse but what ever he does now he will be better in a year," Hickmott said. "It might sound crazy but he is still 12 months away from being where he needs to be physically, he is still very light and he is almost an effeminate. He isn't a big, strong masculine horse and he doesn't carry much excess, but he has an enormous aerobic capacity. His blood lactate levels, the stuff we do when testing him on treadmills, are amazing."
Hickmott admits he may have been guilty of 'trainer error' when he took blinkers off the gelding three starts back but after an educational outing back at 1800m, Franked put it all together with a four length last start win over 2400m.
Trainer Michael Hickmott
"We don't have any lofty ambitions but he is going in the right direction," Hickmott said. "It's not like we paid $300,000 or $400,000 for him and now we are on the back foot, realistically, if he wins a couple more of those Saturday races he will have well and truly paid for himself. He will be going to the paddock on Tuesday win, lose or draw, then we can bring him back and see where he ends up in the spring."
"He will be going to the paddock on Tuesday win, lose or draw, then we can bring him back and see where he ends up in the spring." - Michael Hickmott
Former Darren Weir-trained 7-year-old Bondeiger (War Pass {USA}), now with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, is early favourite for the 3200m staying test after a strong win in last weekend's G3 Lord Reims Stakes at Morphettville.
The "Tassie Cups King" Eastender (Tickets) will carry joint top weight of 58kg after five straight wins in his home state, including supreme staying performances at his last two, the G3 Hobart Cup and G3 Launceston Cup.
The stoutly bred Fabrizio (High Chaparral {Ire}), second behind Eastender at Launceston and a G3 winner previously, is the other runner carrying top weight but a remarkable 16 of the remaining 18 runners carry the limit weight of 53kg.
