No Australian Guineas for Age Of Chivalry

Rather than run at G1 level, Age of Chivalry will stick to 1400m in lesser company at Flemington.

As a last-start runner-up in the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington, it would have been easy to assume Age Of Chivalry would progress to the Group One Australian Guineas as a genuine contender.

But that is not the case, with the lightly raced three-year-old gelding instead set to run in the $135,000 Seppelt Wines Plate (1400m) on the undercard to Saturday’s $1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Age Of Chivalry was not nominated for the Guineas and connections opted not to pay a late entry, with co-trainer Simon Zahra saying the three-year-old was still not the furnished product.

“He’s still doing a bit wrong and being a bit fierce in his races,” Zahra said.

“He’s got to step up but I think he looks really well placed on Saturday.

“If he was doing a lot right we probably would have paid the late entry, that wouldn’t have been the problem, but he was still going a bit fierce over the 1400 and to us it would have been maybe just a waste of time going there.

“We were happy to stay at the 1400 metres and just teach him, and we can bring him back for the spring as a four-year-old.”

Age Of Chivalry has two wins and two seconds from five starts.

In his three runs this preparation, Age Of Chivalry has won two midweek races over 1200m at Sandown before his close second to The Inevitable in the C S Hayes Stakes.

Age Of Chivalry was the $2.80 favourite for Saturday’s race on Friday.

“I think he looks better now than he did two Saturdays ago,” Zahra said.