Inside Running New season opens new hopes begin

It might still feel like the depths of mid-winter, but Saturday’s first meeting of the new season at Flemington has traditionally been the kick-off point for many horses hoping to take higher order in the spring.

The calendar has changed, new races have emerged â€" especially the big-money events in Sydney which now encroach on the Melbourne spring carnival â€" but races such as the Aurie’s Star Handicap are still fascinating contests as they pit the better race-fit winter sprinters against some of the emerging horses who will be using it as a pipe-opener before (hopefully) going on to better things.

Resting in Pagan’s paddock

Tradition might be honoured more in the breach than the observance these days, but former AFL premiership coach Denis Pagan is happy to rely on tried and trusted methods, especially if they have been proven to work in the past.

Denis Pagan, trainer of Johnny Get Angry, after winning the 2020 Victoria Derby. Credit:Getty Images

He will start his Victoria Derby winner, Johnny Get Angry, in the Aurie’s Star at his home track Flemington for the gelding’s first start in more than nine months, since he and apprentice Lachie King sprung that surprise on the first day of the Cup carnival last year. King is out injured, so Jamie Mott takes the ride on Saturday.

Pagan says that he just decided to let “Johnny” have a long break and grow and strengthen rather than rush him back into work for an autumn campaign.

He is keen to follow the path of such previous great trainers as Bart Cummings and George Hanlon, who regularly used the Aurie’s Star as an opening point in the spring campaigns of potential Melbourne Cup contenders.

Kah in the saddle

Classic Form from last year will get a bit of a testing in the feature race, and not just through Johnny Get Angry.

Also amongst the declarations is the Hayes stable’s Aysar, last season’s Caulfield Guineas runner-up, with record-breaking premier rider Jamie Kah in the saddle.

Aysar is likely to be much more of a sprinting type than Pagan’s charge, but he has been frustrating for punters.

Following his good second at long odds to Ole Kirk in the Caulfield classic he finished a well backed runner-up on his next three outings before winding up his autumn three-year-old campaign unplaced behind the $301 winner Lunar Fox in the Australian Guineas.

Waller’s pick

It is a similar story in Sydney, where the feature is the group 2 Missile Stakes, also over 1200 metres although this is a set weights plus penalties contest rather than a handicap.

In theory, that should favour Chris Waller’s six-year-old gelding Kolding, who has already amassed more than $6 million in prizemoney.

His rating of 116 puts him nine points clear of Fasika, winner of the group 2 Sapphire Stakes during the Sydney autumn carnival.

The latter is, however, clear market leader, with Kolding second elect.

Bookmakers are also keeping that useful sprinter Viridine and prolific winning Gold Coast sprinter Phobetor well up in the market.

Michael Lynch is The Age's chief soccer reporter and also reports on motor sport and horseracing

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