Shogun Sun freshened for Gold Coast

Golden Rose aspirant Shogun Sun has had a freshen-up as he prepares to take another step towards the Group One race in Sydney.

Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida thought long and hard before committing Shogun Sun to Saturday’s Three-Year-Old Handicap (1100m) at the Gold Coast.

Schweida sent Shogun Sun to spend a week on the water walker after he returned from his upset win over 1200m at Randwick in Sydney three weeks ago.

Shogun Sun was at $20 when he beat the $2.45 favourite Addictive Nature who is the market leader for Saturday’s Group Three Ming Dynasty (1400m) at Rosehill.

“I want to run him in the Run To the Rose (September 9) before he goes on hopefully to the Golden Rose (September 23)”, Schweida said.

“The choices were to give him another run here or trial him. The race on Saturday is 1100 metres and I am coming back in distance with him which isn’t ideal.

“But he has had a week on the water walker so he should be on the fresh side.”

Shogun Sun has won $89,000 prize money but Schweida is not convinced he has enough yet to make the Golden Rose field.

“The problem is that it is a different game down there in Sydney. Here we race virtually the same horses but they come at you in waves down there to qualify for a race like the Golden Rose,” he said.

“The bottom line is that Saturday is a chance to get more prize money. Also if he doesn’t finish the race off well, it will be a waste of time going back to Sydney.”

Schweida has booked in-form three-kilo claiming apprentice Jag Guthmann Chester for Shogun Sun reducing his weight to 56kg.

“Jag impressed me when he won on another one of my horses Cellargirl last week,” Schweida said.

Stablemate Outraged will back up in the Open Handicap (1800m) after his unlucky second at Doomben last week.

“I think he should have won his past two starts and I wouldn’t usually back him up,” Schweida said.

“But I have a 2200-metre race next month in mind for him and the lead-up races don’t fall the way I want.”