Futurity Winner Holds The Aces In Carnival Chase

ANYONE who knows Gold Coast trainer Mark Saal is well aware he “likes a punt”.

Come next Thursday night, Mark is expecting not to be able to punt on the final of the Listed Carnival Chase (600m) at Albion Park.

That's because Saal's top class race bitch Pump It (Collision-Simply An Angel) is likely to start a raging hot favourite for the final after winning her heat on Thursday night in 35.04 and then coming up with her favoured rails box draw for the final.

Pump It, winner at 16 of her 43 race starts and $107,000 in stakes, is clearly the hot runner in the final and she has been beaten just once when drawing the rails.

Saal, a devotee of form, says Pump It's chances are improved even further.

“The two is slow out and likes to use a bit of the track,” he said.

He rates Ninetymile King the hardest to beat.

“He ran home two one-hundredths quicker than my bitch, but I expect her to be further improved and he is likely to be giving my bitch a start early,” said Saal.

He also pointed out it was Pump It's third race start this year. She had a season.

Saal admits the 600m campaign Pump It is into now has come earlier than he would have liked.

“There are too many good races coming up in the next couple of weeks and months to miss out on,” said Saal.

“I would have liked another two or three weeks to build her up to the middle distance and then the 710m.”

The ultimate aim is the Group 1 Queensland Cup over 710m in June/July.

Saal said he would not push Pump It through every one of the programmed distance races.

“I don't want to run her 710 metres six weeks in a row so hopefully I can pick and choose the races she competes in over the next few months,” he said.