Trainer Eyes Cup For Lucid Reflection

Fri, June 25 2010

TRAINER Dick Leech says adaptable performer Lucid Reflection will tell him where he's headed in this year's Darwin Cup Carnival.

Leech's ambition is to win his second Darwin Cup with the mercurial galloper whose greatest career triumph came in last year's Pioneer Sprint at Alice Springs over 1200m.

"I want to have a go at the Darwin Cup with him," Leech told Game On.

"That's Plan A for him, but we're lucky that if things don't quite work out there we've always got the option of freshening him up and trying for the Palmerston.

A key plank of Plan A comes in tomorrow's opening leg of the NT TAB ROANT Cup (1300m) at Fannie Bay.

The $15,000 race is Lucid Reflection's second run this preparation, having pleased Leech with a good runner-up effort behind Canali over 1000m on resuming seven days ago.

"He came back good, he lost 2kg from that run, but is still around the 59.5-59.6kg mark," Leech said. "It should be no problem for him stepping up from 1000 to 1300m and I'm going to tell the stewards that I want to settle him back to teach him to relax a bit more."

Nathan Stanley, who famously partnered Club Liquid to his 13-length 2008 Darwin Cup victory, will partner Lucid Reflection tomorrow.

Speaking of the former Darwin Cup winner, Leech is confident of having his stable star back in action sooner rather than later.

"He's been in pre-training for about eight or nine weeks now and is coming along really good," Leech said. "We've done a heap of beach work with him and hopefully he'll have his first run in a couple of weeks."

Leech will also launch a dual pronged assault on the second leg of the ROANT Cup with Marco Lago and comeback kid Over 'N' Out, who has been off the scene for some 15 months.

"Over 'N' Out has had the stem cell treatment on his tendon, that's why he's been on the sidelines - he's a good horse, but a mad bastard," Leech said. "As for Marco Lago, he'll do his normal thing and lead - they'll both be in there having a real go."

Vanessa Arnott will ride Marco Lago, with Glen Davis taking the mount on Over 'N' Out.