Scott Aspery and in form galloper Uzziah look to keep the ball rolling in Festival Stakes

Trainer Scott Aspery will test in-form galloper Uzziah in Group 3 company at Rosehill on Saturday.

Uzziah winning on The Hunter day at Newcastle last start. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Trainer Scott Aspery is aiming up with in-form galloper Uzziah with his stable star set to tackle Saturday’s Group 3 Fesitval Stakes at Rosehill.

A spike in form has seen the six-year-old son of Outreach win two of three this preparation, the latest in impressive style when comfortably disposing of a Benchmark 94 field at Newcastle on The Hunter day.

Uzziah goes all the way in front to score in the last at Newcastle! 👏@[e-mail]/l0dtOfzbqk

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) November 16, 2024

Aspery believes the improvement in Uzziah correlates with the addition of blinkers, which were added halfway through the gallopers previous preparation.

“His run in the wild card of the Provincial Championships was the first time he wore blinkers and he went sensational,” Aspery said.

“He led and almost pinched that race, only getting run down in the last 100m.

“It seems as though since the blinkers have got on he’s just got more of a hunger when he races and is racing better than ever.”

Uzziah looked under siege in the closing stages of his last-start run when Godolphin mare Inhibitions loomed before he found a second wind and came back to win comfortably.

TAB rates him as a $17 chance in the all-in market to replicate his last-start result where he again gets in with a light weight.

Trainer Scott Aspery is aiming up with improved galloper Uzziah.

“Molly Bourke said at Newcastle last start that he was waiting for the horses to come and when he felt the Godolphin horse come and put pressure on was when he really wanted to get going again,” Aspery said.

“It’s a bonus being way down in the weights and hopefully he can be competitive in that grade.”

Bourke has already committed to ride Felix Majestic in the Festival Stakes so Uzziah is set to get a switch with Jay Ford booked to ride.

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While Aspery believes Uzziah will make his presence known in the Group 3 contest, he does have one concern and it will mean he keeps a close eye on the weather.

Up to 20mm of rain is forecast in Parramatta on Friday and it’s a similar amount expected the following day.

“Ideally I wouldn’t want to run him on anything worse than a Soft 5,” Aspery admits.

“He was placed on a heavy but he just doesn’t have that same turn of foot he has when racing on top of the ground.”

Originally published as Scott Aspery and in form galloper Uzziah look to keep the ball rolling in Festival Stakes