Griffiths hopes to flex muscle in Showdown

Trainer Robbie Griffiths was looking at having multiple runners contest the second running of The Showdown at Caulfield.

The $855,000 race for two-year-olds on Saturday was a target Griffiths had picked out for four of his juveniles.

Attracting a field of 16 plus four emergencies, Griffiths has one two-year-old safely in while the remaining three require scratchings to make the field.

“Being worth the money it is, I doubt whether there will be any scratchings,” Griffiths said.

“But they’re in it and ready to go if they get a start.”

Cornucopia scraped into Saturday’s field for Griffiths as number 16 and to make her task tougher she has drawn the widest gate.

Griffiths also has the first three emergencies – Miss Kansas (barrier 15), Halvoya (two) and Night Of Delight (nine).

Cornucopia drew the widest barrier in her debut run at Bendigo on March 28 over 1000m, flying home from last to finish fourth behind Swats That.

Griffiths said it was likely Cornucopia, who was purchased for $8000, would need to be ridden the same way on Saturday.

“Because of the bad barrier we were forced to go back at Bendigo,” Griffiths said.

“We are going to be in the same situation again which is disappointing because it would have been nice to try and ride her a little bit closer and be in a nice spot to be a winning chance.

“Instead we’re going to be in no-man’s land and hoping for a miracle.”

Griffiths said in an ideal world he would have preferred to have given his emergency runners a start before Saturday’s race.

“I think first starters are probably better off over 1000 metres where they don’t have to be as intellectually advanced and have the stamina for 1200 metres,” he said.

“All mine have a future. They can run a bit, but the question is whether they get in or not.”

He said Miss Kansas would need to go back from her draw if she gains a start while Halvoya is a half-sister to Halvorsen, a seven-time winner for Griffiths.

“She’s quite aggressive, a bit like Halvorsen early on,” Griffiths said.

“We put Mark Zahra on because he’s got soft hands, so if she did sneak in she has the talent to take a spot in the field.

“Night Of Delight is a similar filly to Halvoya, very quick.

“She won a trial and Ben Thompson likes her a lot, but because she’s third emergencies he has got off to ride Write On for Mark Newnham.”