“It won’t be easy to peg them [Team Dunn] back but we have some good horses and decent numbers for the second half of the season so we haven’t given up on it,” said Telfer.
The stable has some top-end talent with not only B D Joe and Ohoka Connor but Alta Meteor, Alta Wiseguy and to a lesser extent Fernleigh Cash all able to race in elite-level races.
The latter returns in a small but strong 2200m mobile at Alexandra Park tonight up against greatly improved stablemate Twista.
In what is a mini summation of the season overall, the biggest danger appears to be the Dunn-trained Triple G.
“While he is fresh up this week Fernleigh Cash has done plenty of work so he is ready to go,” Telfer said.
“Twista is a lovely horse who keeps getting better but we think he will need the run this week so out of our two I think Fernleigh Cash will be the better chance.”
Triple G probably had every right to win when heavily backed at Cambridge last start but was passing laned by a smart pacer so looks the obvious top pick tonight while Artisan is always a chance in this level of race with her gate speed.
The Telfers start the night with three reps in Race 1 including impressive Cambridge debut winner J T Boe, who Telfer thinks will be better for his first Alexandra Park race tonight.
“All three of ours in that race go well, but I think Secrets Abound is actually the best chance even from the outside of the front line.
“He got back in a strong race last week and will be better for that outing.”
He suggests Upstage (Race 2, No 2) could be another significant improver tonight after having no luck on debut last week although he does find himself in a strong maiden.
One of the clashes of the night could again be Telfers v Dunns in Race 4 when Semba, who was very brave sitting parked to win last Friday, takes on the Dunns’ talented Always A Porsche.
“Always A Porsche looks a pretty smart horse, but so to is Semba and if he can hold up early and even sit on his back I think he will go close,” said Telfer.
Tonight’s other meeting is at Addington as harness racing and the TAB continue their concerted Friday night push which has seen an increase in turnover since the launch of Friday Night Lights coverage.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
