Midnight Flynn Fighting Fit Ahead Of Silver Chief Classic
VIOLET Town trainer Michael Carter is hoping his promising sprinter Midnight Flynn can cause an upset this Saturday night when he contests the Group One Silver Chief Classic at The Meadows.
Rated a $23 chance, Midnight Flynn goes into the race as a winner of seven races from 13 starts with six minor placings. The ultra- consistent youngster will jump from box seven in the $100,000-to-the-winner feature, a draw which Carter believes will suit him well.
“Box seven is where he wants to be,” Carter said.
“The way the field is boxed, I give him a good chance. There is a lot of speed on the inside and they have only got to jam up a little bit on the fence … he should be left alone out where he is.
“If he can get around them going around the first corner then I think he will take a fair bit of catching.”
Midnight Flynn ran a terrific 29.84 when winning his Silver Chief heat on December 20 from box two. The son of High Earner and Little Zeva returned for his semi-final last week where he led before being run down by boom pup Above All, defeated by just more than three-and-a-half lengths.
“I was happy and unhappy with him last week because when he went to the front I didn't think he would get caught, but the dog that ran him down [Above All] is a pretty handy dog,” Carter explained.
“That was only his second go at a two-turn track, the other dogs that ran quicker than him have been going around them all their lives. I was just happy to get through to the final.
“He pulled up a little bit scratchy, it was nothing major, he will be 100 per cent going into Saturday.”
Although he rates his charge a good chance, Carter conceded it would be a tough assignment on Saturday against some of the most promising young sprinters the sport has seen in recent years.
The main threats appear to be Melbourne Cup victor Dyna Villa (box one), the unbeaten Dyna Double One (box three) and Hobart Thousand hero Above All (box five)
Nevertheless, Carter remains optimistic Midnight Flynn can snare him his first win at the top level.
“I have been in two Easter Eggs and a Paws of Thunder, but it will be my first Group One if I win it,” he said.
“I always seem to draw bad in the big finals. I have drawn all right this week but there just happens to be three superstars in the race. I think it is the toughest Silver Chief for quite some time.”
Carter, who has been training Midnight Flynn only since October, said the black speedster was maturing as a race dog with each start and had high hopes for his future.
“He is a tough dog, this little bloke. There is nothing of him, he is only 28 kilograms, but it doesn't affect him, he just keeps going.
“If he can keep progressing and improving, and I think he will improve a ton on Saturday night, I think he will be in a lot of group races. He is tough, he can cop the bumps and he always keeps coming.
“I have a pretty good opinion of him, but I have just got to see now how he handles two-turn racing and getting bumped around week in, week out.”
The Group One Silver Chief Classic is race eight at The Meadows on Saturday night and is set to jump at 9.43pm.