Peter Hardacre confident stable star Press Down can rediscover form in Christmas Handicap

Two poor runs left trainer Peter Hardacre scratching his head with smart sprinter Press Down, but the South Australian handler is optimistic his gelding can charge back to winning ways at Morphettville on Saturday.

Press Down wins the Wylie Handicap at Morphettville. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

Two poor runs down the Flemington straight left trainer Peter Hardacre scratching his head with smart sprinter Press Down, but the South Australian handler is optimistic his gelding can charge back to winning ways in Saturday’s Listed Christmas Handicap (1200m) at Morphettville.

Press Down jumped as a $15 hope in the Group 3 Rising Fast at Flemington last start, fading to finish 12th. The disappointing run came two starts after a Flemington failure earlier in the year that saw the gelding finish 11th as a $2.40 favourite in the Santa Ana Lane Series Final.

Sandwiched between the two runs was a strong win at Morphettville in the Listed Wylie Handicap, while the gelding also starred at feature-level in the Gold Topaz at Swan Hill in June – the start prior to his Santa Ana Lane failure.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

“It was a bit of a non-event, the last two times we’ve gone on to Melbourne with him,” Hardacre said.

“(I) don’t know if it’s the straight six (furlongs), which a lot of horses tend to not handle – his last two times there have been very ordinary and his form has been almost perfect around those two runs.

“We’ve put a line through Melbourne and stay at home for our stakes races here where he’s proven.

“We couldn’t find anything wrong with the horse after Flemington, he seems fine, we go in to Saturday confident that we are going in with a sound and fit horse.”

Press Down wins the Wylie! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7xMAkzPhmJ

— Racing.com (@Racing) September 14, 2024

• Racing SA announces new CEO

While Hardacre questioned Press Down’s suitability for straight course sprints, the trainer was confident that his speedster would bounce back in Adelaide where he will be back around a bend and fresh from almost two months between runs.

“He’s had that eight weeks (off) since he raced, he hasn’t had a jump out or trial going into Saturday, we’ve kept him up to the mark at home and think we have done enough work with him,” he said.

“He’s bright, fresh and ready to go.”

Hardacre has a team of four accepted for Saturday’s nine-race card at Morphettville, including promising five-year-old mare Eroica, who is out to add to an unblemished record of two wins from two starts. She hasn’t raced since her win at Gawler on January 6.

“She’s an exciting little mare, she had a little soft tissue injury after she won her last start,” he said.

“She’s done a full rehab, she’s trialled up nicely, she had a little mishap out (of) the barriers last start at Murray Bridge and didn’t start.

“She’s come through that fine. This looks like a better race for her than what Murray Bridge did, I expect her to run a really bold race.”

• Neverenough Blue Diamond contenders for Lindsay Park

Hardacre also has stable stalwart Thrill Kill and five-year-old mare Dual Fuel tackling respective Benchmark 78 races.

“I thought Thrill Kill should’ve won the Bordertown Cup last start; the rider came back and to his credit, put his hand up and said he ‘absolutely slaughtered him’.

“He’s going really well. It’s a tough enough race for him, but he’ll be competitive from a good barrier.

“Dual Fuel needs to find some of her old form, she’s been a bit off the boil so far this preparation, we are hoping stepping out to the 2500m see’s her at her best.”

Neil Farley will pilot Press Down from barrier eight in Saturday’s Christmas Handicap, for which the gelding is a $6.50 chance with Sportsbet fixed odds.

Originally published as Peter Hardacre confident stable star Press Down can rediscover form in Christmas Handicap