Chalice out to make mark at Sandown

[Wandering Eyes]

Paul Preusker is hoping to get the spring campaign of Poison Chalice (NZ) (Savabeel) back on track at Ladbrokes Park Sandown on Wednesday after a setback following an eye-catching victory at the track last month.

The son of Savabeel, who has been visually breathtaking in his two starts this preparation, had even more merit to his performance last start than it first appeared.

“He got galloped on last race and ripped a back shoe off and hit him on a hind leg three times and come through and overreached on a front heel, so he did well to win,” Preusker explained.

Poison Chalice will carry 61.5 kilograms in the Benchmark 64 contest over 1600 metres in a field that has attracted just seven runners.

“I thought it would be a good test to carry the weight, if he’s good enough, he will deal with it,” Preusker said.

“He’s been tricky to get a guide because both runs he’s been held up and only able to stride the last 100 metres.

“He has got a brutal 400 metres on him, not many have got that and he has, but it’s never been used.”

A $350,000 Gold Coast yearling purchase by Ultra Thoroughbreds, Preusker said he is open to ‘having a throw at the stumps’ at the back end of the Spring Carnival if he wins convincingly on Wednesday.

“He’s a funny horse, for as good as he goes you expect him to look an elite kind of horse but he’s a real rough-coated thing but he’s a later bloomer,” he said.

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