Saloon Bar won’t go down as the best horse Dan Morton has trained, but the Sessions gelding might go down as one of his favourites.
“I love him and you wouldn’t swap him for too many, “Morton said to Racing WA.
“Like the horse has won nearly eight hundred grand.
“I know he’s a hard horse to catch, but he goes out and does his thing.
“He’s a good horse and he’ll turn up again.”
Saloon Bar turned up this time a year ago with a slashing fifth behind gun sprinter Overpass in the Quokka (1200m), beaten just under two lengths.
Since the Quokka he collected maiden black type in the Farnley Stakes (1400m) and finished either second or third in five group and listed races.
Saloon Bar is Morton’s representative in Saturday’s Group 3 PKF-Roma Cup (1200m), an event he won previously with Elite Street in 2022.
Saloon Bar is second-up in the Roma Cup after flashing home for fourth behind rising star Jokers Grin in the Rock Magic Stakes (1000m).
Running on from last position, Saloon Bar closed out the race in 33.03sec., second only to Jokers Grin who ran the last 600m in 33.01sec.
Jokers Grin, in his final hit out before the Kia-Quokka, is the $2.45 Roma Cup favourite, ahead of Bluff Knoll (1099m) winner, Rope Them In at $5.
Saloon Bar is rated a $10 chance.
Morton says because of his consistent performances in big races, you can’t discount Saloon Bar causing a mini upset in the Roma Cup.
“You’d be a brave man to leave him out,” Morton said.
“You’d be crazy to leave him out of contention all together because he will bob up.
“He’s a proper horse.”
Following on from the Rock Magic Stakes, Saloon Bar will have the services of champion jockey William Pike again.
Saloon Bar has drawn barrier 10, the second widest gate.
Meanwhile, Morton has the Swan Draught-Gimcrack Stakes (1100m) well stacked with three runners: Wonderfully Made, Golden Opera and She’s Hot.
Out of the trio, the Tabtouch market leans to Wonderfully Made, a Playing God filly, who ran a cracking second on debut behind God’s Rapture.
Ridden by Lucy Fiore, she was held in a tight pocket, but encouragingly for a two-year-old she found the line strongly when an inside run came.
“She was great, very professional,” Morton said.
“If she had got an out earlier it might have made it interesting.
“There was bugger all room.
“It was quite a brave move by Lucy (Fiore) let alone the horse.
“I liked what I saw.
“If she comes on from that I expect her to go well.”
Wonderfully Made jumps from barrier three with Fiore electing to hop aboard again.
She’s $8.50 with Tabtouch, behind Yes Queen at $2.70, Luana Miss $3.20 and Talkanco $7.
She’s Hot and Golden Opera are $26 and $51 respectively.
Julio Santarelli