Rue de Royale Sets Sights on the Sapphire Stakes

[Wandering Eyes]

With two of the eight runners in Saturday’s Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, Tony and Calvin McEvoy are hopeful their charges can be the ones to serve it up to Golden Slipper runner-up Coleman.

The Ballarat-based duo will saddle up Rue de Royale(NZ) (Per Incanto) and Cavity Bay in the $500,000 contest and Tony McEvoy is confident his colt in particular, who placed behind Evaporate(NZ) (Per Incanto) and Henlein two starts ago in the G2 Stutt Stakes, can make his presence felt back to 1400 metres.

While the earner of more than $700,000 might have only saluted once in a Bendigo maiden, Rue de Royale boasts a second placing to Traffic Warden over the distance from the VRC Sires’ earlier this year.

“He has freshened up well and he is a pretty good horse, he has got us to a Blue Diamond, Golden Slipper and a Guineas,” McEvoy said.

“He didn’t run the mile in the Guineas, he ran ok in the Stutt, which invited us to run, but he got to the 200 metres and didn’t finish it off.”

Rue de Royale, who has jumped out between runs at Bendigo and will have winkers applied for the first time, has drawn beside Coleman in barrier four with Craig Williams booked to ride.

McEvoy said with 1600m now off the agenda for the son of Per Incanto, ruling out a shot at the Sandown Guineas in a fortnight, it is likely to be his fifth and final run for the campaign.

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