Couldn’t Refuse heading to Gold Coast

Trainer Desleigh Forster is keen to see what Couldn’t Refuse can do over 1200m at the Gold Coast.

Eagle Farm trainer Desleigh Forster hopes to continue her good start to the winter carnival with promising two-year-old Couldn’t Refuse at the Gold Coast.

Forster’s stable star Chapter And Verse opened his winter campaign on Saturday with a runaway win in the Metricon Plate (1200m) at Eagle Farm.

The trainer is aiming him at the Stradbroke Handicap in June.

“He will still need to lift his rating more and if he doesn’t make it this year there is always next year so I am not going to push him,” Forster said.

“But if he can get into the Stradbroke with a light weight he will give them something to think about.”

Chapter And Verse has now won five of his 13 starts and nearly $800,000 prize money, most of which came from his victory in the Magic Millions QTIS race in January.

Couldn’t Refuse is raced in similar interests to Chapter And Verse and both are by the stallion Rothesay.

He will run in Saturday’s Group Three Ken Russell Memorial (1200m) named after the popular Gold Coast jockey who died from injuries suffered in a race fall at Rosehill in 1993.

“I had Couldn’t Refuse in the Dalrello Stakes on Saturday but I didn’t accept because I felt the 1000 metres of that race would be too short,” Forster said.

“My bloke is looking for more ground and the Ken Russell at 1200 suits him better.”

Couldn’t Refuse won a trial in good fashion earlier this month and first-up was a fast-finishing second over 1000m at Eagle Farm after being bumped at the start.

He is one of 18 nominations for the race.