Nikitas ready to improve in Run To The Rose at Rosehill

PART-OWNER Neville Morgan doesn’t think former Queensland colt Nikitas should be as long as $61 in betting for Saturday’s Run To The Rose at Rosehill.

Michael Cahill winning Race 1 on Nikitas at Doomben Racecourse. Pics Tara Croser.

PART-OWNER Neville Morgan doesn’t think former Queensland colt Nikitas should be as long as $61 in betting for Saturday’s Run To The Rose at Rosehill.

By the same token, the Queensland businessman will not be having any of his hard-earned on Nikitas who is now trained by Chris Waller.

“If you look at the run of Nikitas in the Sires Produce (a narrow third behind Attention), he would probably be about $10 in the Run To The Rose,” Morgan said. “But then he came out and was well beaten in the Group 1 JJ Atkins.

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“That run was a bit of an abomination because he missed the start and then got stuck on the inside part of the track, which was an absolute no-go zone at Eagle Farm that day.

“He also got poleaxed when he turned for home and the jockey had to stop riding him.

“I don’t think his JJ run was too bad at all and I don’t think he should be 60-1 on Saturday.

“Having said that, I won’t be having a bet on him as we really don’t know what to expect.”

Nikitas, who had been the early favourite for the JJ Atkins, was transferred to Waller from the Brisbane stable of Kelso Wood after the Winter Carnival.

Morgan insists there was no issue with Wood, it was just that the owners wanted to target big southern races such as the Golden Rose in Sydney and, potentially, the Caulfield Guineas.

Nikitas has had a bit of a rushed preparation since arriving at Waller’s stables but has had the benefit of two trials.

Chris Waller has taken over the training of Nikitas. Picture: Mark Evans

On paper, the colt’s trial performances look nothing flash but the most recent trial featured star performers English, First Seal, Japonisme and Counterattack.

“The trials have just been about raising his fitness levels,” Morgan said. “How he races on Saturday will tell us where he is. I want to see him run really well.”

A rider is yet to be confirmed for Nikitas.

Meanwhile, trainer David Vandyke will know the spring fate of his Group 1-winning filly Yankee Rose on Wednesday after she turned in a below-par trackwork performance. Yankee Rose returned with “inflammation in her foreleg” and she will been seen by a vet on Wednesday.

Originally published as Nikitas ready to improve in Run To The Rose at Rosehill