McEvoy after rich pickings at Flemington

Tony McEvoy will pit stablemates East Indiaman and Crockett against each other at Flemington.

Trainer Tony McEvoy attacks a race at Flemington with a pair of three-year-olds that have had their latest races in South Australia.

East Indiaman and Crockett run in Saturday’s VRC Member Abigail Bartlett Handicap (1400m).

McEvoy took East Indiaman to South Australia after he finished fourth at Bendigo in early July and the colt scored a 4-3/4 length victory at Balaklava on July 18.

“In Melbourne at the moment you can run really well in your first two or three runs and if you don’t run a place you get balloted out,” McEvoy said.

“I could sense that was going to happen so I whipped him over the border, got him a win and now he gets a run in something, so it was important to get that win under his belt.

“This is a significant step up but he’s there because I have a lot of time for the horse.

“I think he’ll hold his own pretty well.”

McEvoy also has a healthy opinion of Crockett, the winner of one of his seven starts.

As a two-year-old the gelding campaigned in Brisbane before running down the track in the Magic Millions Classic won by stablemate Sunlight at the Gold Coast in January.

Following a break, Crockett has had three runs back, all in Adelaide.

“He’s been in Melbourne a couple of weeks,” McEvoy said.

“He’s been confusing me a little bit as I thought he’d come back beautifully.

“His first run back was fabulous, his second run was a bit plain and his third run was again a bit plain even though he got interfered with when he clipped heels and dipped.

“I thought a change of scenery coming over to Melbourne might pick him up.

“I can’t fault him, he’s in great order but his form has got to come up.”