“I think he’ll manage, it’s an even field and Berry The Cash has pushed the weights down,” the former champion jumps jockey said.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for the other horses, but from a rider’s point of view, I wouldn’t want to be on anything else.”
Hill Of Kings has also breezed through his last run well and Phelan can’t fault his condition.
“He looks amazing and is bouncing out of his skin, he’s like a 2- or 3-year-old at the moment,” he said.
“We have a horse that is very well and opted not to give him a flat run like a few of the others have done.
“It’s been three weeks between runs, but he’s had a couple of track gallops at different places to tighten him up so hopefully that will be enough to get him there.”
Meanwhile, stablemate Pacheco will be in action in the Stella Artois Handicap (2100m) at Ellerslie on Saturday.
He posted consecutive third placings to open his campaign before finishing sixth at his most recent outing.
“He’s been going well and last Saturday, he was caught a bit flat-footed with 59kg in the Rating 75,” Phelan said.
“He pulled up well, so we thought we’d go back to an open handicap with 54kg and get going a bit earlier on him.”
Pacheco holds a nomination for the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), but his barnmate Notabadspillane is the stable’s top seed for the Riccarton feature.
“I think it’s a realistic target for him, he’s bred to run the distance and we’ve given him a lot of time to get him where he is now, so it was good to see what he did last Sunday,” Phelan said.
Untroubled to win at Te Rapa, he is a half-brother to the dual Group One-winner Pennyweka, with their dam the Pentire mare Tuppence.
She is a half-sister to the Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner and New Zealand Cup runner-up Titch.
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
