Trainer Murray Lindau is revelling in a trouble-free preparation with his stable star Talks Up A Storm, ahead of another winnable assignment in tomorrow night’s Howard Porter Memorial (2130m) at Gloucester Park.
The six-year-old scored a stylish Free-For-All win late last month, following a consistent start to his campaign.
Lindau said he hadn’t encountered any setbacks with Talks Up A Storm this preparation and felt he was racing near his best.
“There’s a lot to like about him at the moment,” Lindau told TABradio.
“I’ve had a few health issues from a tying-up aspect.
“When I started to get on top of that I started to see improvement in him.
“For a while there he wasn’t the same horse, and the performances weren’t there.
“I had to go back to school and find a better diet and work regime to get him back to what I knew he was capable of.”
Talks Up A Storm, to be driven by Kyle Harper, gets another opportunity for feature race success in tomorrow night’s $35,000 event, where he has drawn kindly in barrier two.
Sangue Reale has drawn inside Talks Up A Storm and looks set to be his main danger.
Lindau said he was confident the gelding could find the top.
“I think his gate speed is blinding,” he said.
“Utilising his gate speed should help him find the top and I think it’s up to Kyle to rate him accordingly.
“He’s such a difficult horse to run down when he reaches the top.
“At the end of the day, we are going to have a crack at it.”
The son of Artspeak took his prizemoney beyond the $300,000 mark two starts back with a second placing to Aardiebytheseaside in the August Cup (2536m).
Talks Up A Storm is the $1.75 favourite with TABtouch, while Sangue Reale ($2.80) and Steel The Show ($6) are the other runners in the market.
Lindau also has Group 2 winner Beyond The Sea engaged in the Sell Your Car At Westside Auto Pace and said finding consistency had been a battle for the mare this campaign.
Meanwhile, Lindau said Hotly Pursued was “95 per cent” right on his recovery from a leg injury earlier this year but would likely miss the Golden Nugget.
Tim Walker
Image - Pacepix
WATCH - Talks Up A Storm's last start win