Sandown Guineas on cards for Purcell pair

Trainer Aaron Purcell will monitor trackwork before deciding which horses he races at Sandown.

Trainer Aaron Purcell says Black Sail and Villermont only need to get through upcoming track gallops to contest the Group Two Sandown Guineas.

Purcell will take Villermont to Sandown on Tuesday for a gallop while Black Sail will remain at Caulfield for a slightly less strenuous work-out ahead of Saturday’s 1600m three-year-old race.

“If they both gallop well and pull up well, they’ll both run,” Purcell said.

Black Sail is backing up after running second to All Too Huiying over 1800m at Flemington last Thursday.

The Lindsay Park-trained Petrology won the corresponding race at Flemington in 2014 before going on to claim the Sandown Guineas.

“The plan wasn’t to go to the Sandown Guineas but he ran really well and pulled up super so while he’s so fit and well we thought we’d race again,” Purcell said.

On the other hand, Villermont hasn’t raced since finishing fourth behind Temple Of Bel and Black Sail over 1600m on the middle day of last month’s Caulfield Cup three day carnival.

Villermont was sent out a short-priced favourite on the strength of his Benalla maiden victory at his previous start, but Purcell said not everything went right at Caulfield.

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“He was dug up to hold his spot and got over-racing on a strong tempo,” Purcell said.

“He peeled out and got there too soon, was left a sitting shot and weakened late.

“We gave him a few days off after his Caulfield run.

“He looks a million dollars, his work since has been great and I’d expect him to work good again tomorrow.

“Ridden a little quieter, I’d be expecting him to be hard to beat.”

Purcell is hoping stayer Swacadelic can go one better than his second placing to Qewy in last year’s (3200m) Sandown Cup.

The German-bred seven-year-old was beaten a half-neck by Qewy who was coming off a fourth placing behind Almandin in the 2016 Melbourne Cup.

“I think he’s going into the race as good as ever,” Purcell said.

“The trip’s no worries but when they stop and start that finds him out, so as long as they roll along he’ll be right in the finish.”