KEY POINTS:
Xcellent has bounced through his pressure-releasing first New Zealand defeat in Tuesday's $200,000 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie and is now booked to race at the Trentham carnival.
The outstanding galloper has been declared a certain starter in the $100,000 Trentham Stakes.
The Moroney stable decided that change of direction yesterday morning.
"There was a thought about the Thorndon Mile, but we don't want him carrying big weights in the top races," said co-trainer Paul Moroney. "He doesn't have gate speed so he has to get back in running and having to sprint hard from the back of the field late in the handicaps is much harder on his legs than the longer races at weight-for-age."
The stable was convinced of the wisdom of a Trentham Stakes start by the type of horse the race has attracted in recent years.
"He's better off competing against the horses getting ready for the Wellington Cup than he is chasing very smart horses in races like the Thorndon Mile."
Moroney said big differences are noticeable in Xcellent.
"Whereas as a 3-year-old we could get away with racing him sparingly and he'd be easy to keep fit, now as an older horse we're finding he needs more racing.
"We used to be able to get away with six weeks between races, we can't now," he said.
