Stepping up to 1900m third run back from a spell should prove a winning move for the promising Lloyd Williams-owned gelding Wimba.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Wimba’s first two career outings each yielded minor placings and it is advisable his chances at Geelong on Thursday are assessed on those runs opposed to a forgettable day out last start.
Lining up over 1400m at Ballarat, Wimba was caught deep throughout with no cover and was probably entitled to do a lot worse than a safely held fourth.
The Dylan Thomas gelding third run back from a spell now steps up to what should prove a more suitable trip in the Provide Rapid Flow Maiden Plate (1900m) at Geelong.
He faces 10 rivals on Thursday and while some have run respectable figures during their careers, none possess the upside Wimba does.
Wimba possesses a peak Timeform rating of 89 which was yielded during his debut at Bendigo over 1400m during the spring.
He ran a close third on that occasion behind the Bart Cummings-trained Divine Moon who actually boasts a minor placing at Group level.
On resuming, Wimba then finished second behind Air Striker who placed his following run at Caulfield.
Like his latest outing at Ballarat, Wimba has again drawn wide but in a smaller field over more ground it should not be a factor.
Enhancing Wimba’s chances is the addition of Brad Rawiller and expect the leading Victorian hoop to get the three-year-old into a good spot probably in behind the leading pair.
The gelding should relish the extra ground third up and from a forward position should peel out around the turn on his way to breaking maiden status.
Encouraging statistics can be rounded up which auger well for Wimba’s chances on Thursday looking at the performance’s of Team Williams runners in similar situations.
Lloyd Williams’ trainer Robert Hickmott enjoys a 29% success rate at Geelong while his success rate at the provincials is also a very impressive 27%.
Wimba appears well suited rising to 1900m third up from a spell and belongs to a stable which possesses a 40% success rate in both of those departments.
If you can overlook his latest run which was a career worst effort, Wimba would otherwise tick all of the boxes.
Cuzzy Bro is arguably the main danger.
The Robert Smerdon-trained gelding has been poor in two starts so far this campaign, albeit over unsuitable distances.
Like Wimba, Cuzzy Bro also rises to 1900m after his latest start over 1400m.
The Iffraaj three-year-old put in some sound efforts once getting out to a mile and beyond last preparation and improvement is expected here.
Topiary has placed in his past couple of runs since he’s stepped out to a trip and watch for a similar performance here.
