How much yeast is in the rise and rise of Lochinvar Art will get a thorough examination this Saturday night when David Moran's four-year-old faces a deep and talented field in the coveted Neatline Homes Shepparton Gold Cup.
Enlisted a $2.30 favourite by TAB.com.au at opening, which has since shortened to $2, there is plenty of support for the Group 1 winner to secure a second Trots Country Cup in six days, having zipped past Sicario to win Sunday's crown at Cobram.
While Moran admits Saturday night's star-studded cup field presents a greater challenge, he told Trots Talk Lochinvar Art should only be stronger second-up.
"We thought he'd go extremely well (at Cobram), but there's always a little bit of the unknown when you go into a 2600-metre race first up," Moran said.
"We seemed to have him forward enough to get the job done there and he should be a lot better this week. I know it sounds funny off a six-day back up, but it's amazing how the horse handles himself the following week, race-to-race. He's just always better again the next week."
Moran said it could be "tricky" transitioning to open age racing, but that Lochinvar Art was well placed after a testing three-year-old season when he raced over varying distances and against quality competition, meaning he entered 2019-20 "reasonably well seasoned".
That will be put to the test from 9.35pm on Saturday when he steps out in the $60,000 Group 2 Cup.
"I don't expect him to be too dominant and I don't think he should be too short-priced a favourite, but I think he will acquit himself well and it will just depend on what happens throughout the run," Moran said.
"San Carlo and Our Uncle Sam and My Kiwi Mate, those sorts of horses are pretty well seasoned, and then you've got Code Black and Phoenix Prince, who are going really well at the moment."
The hit-out will give a valuable insight into what lies ahead for Lochinvar Art, with the riches of the TAB Summer Of Glory to get underway with the January 18 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup.
Among the lures is the Alabar 4YO Bonanza, a $100,000 Group 1 at Tabcorp Park Melton on January 25, but Moran said he would tread a cautious path through the summer.
"The horse will tell me how he's going, we will get through this week and see how he backs up racing week-to-week in the open grade," he said. "We are up in the air with the Bonanza, I think it will be an extremely strong race and we don't want to cook him too early."
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