High stakes decision for Damion Flower with Sandbar in contention

[Hogg]

OWNER Damion Flower admitted he was very close to selecting brilliant colt Sandbar for his slot in the $13 million The TAB Everest next week.

Flower had originally secured English for The Everest but, when that mare pulled up sore after a barrier trial last Monday, he was left scrambling to find a replacement sprinter.

After some tense moments, he finally negotiated a deal with Viddora’s owners for The Everest and stuck to the original plan to run Sandbar in the Group 2 $300,000 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

“I was going through turmoil trying to get an Everest deal done and I had a couple of my part-owners call me with one word — Sandbar,’’ Flower said.

“I’ve no doubt if we had to run Sandbar he could have given it a shake. To be brutally honest, I feel he could have finished top six. Graff is in the race and we are about a length off him. But all the way through I’ve been guided by Brad (Widdup, trainer) and he feels Sandbar is a year off being at his best.

“This colt will continue to grow and develop further into his frame.

“We didn’t want to bust him for next year. Hopefully, he is our Everest horse next year.’’

Sandbar can go a long way to confirming a start in the 2019 Everest by winning the Roman Consul Stakes.

The Widdup-trained colt is $4.40 favourite for a three-year-old sprint which includes promising types Performer, Jonker, Aylmerton, Spin, Charge and Sesar.

“If you win the Roman Consul then it is ballot-free for the T.J. Smith next autumn,’’ Flower said. “We will know by then if we have an Everest horse.’’

Sandbar won The Rosebud when resuming this campaign before his fifth in the Run To The Rose behind Lean Mean Machine. The horse then finished fourth in the Group 1 Golden Rose to The Autumn Sun.

“He was brave in the Golden Rose, he had to work hard, brought them all up, the two leaders faded away but he didn’t and was right there to the finish,’’ Flower said of Sandbar.

“I feel this colt has a similar profile to Russian Revolution who won the Roman Consul then trained on to The Galaxy and Oakleigh Plate.

“If we can win the Roman Consul, obviously the Coolmore Stud Stakes is inviting but we might even give him a break, put him away for races like the Oakleigh Plate, The Galaxy and the T.J. Smith.’’

Flower also teams with rival Everest slot-holders Max Whitby and Neil Werrett with Za Zi Ba in the Winning Edge Merchandise Sprint (1200m).

Za Zi Ba goes to Randwick in top form after winning at Rosehill before a close second to the smart Coruscate at Canterbury.

“Her form is great,’’ Flower said. “We have been waiting to get her into a race where she is well placed and drawn the right barrier (four).

“She should run well again.’’