Too Good To Refuse ready for autumn

Stakes winner Too Good To Refuse will be ridden positively at Eagle Farm as he takes his first step to the Sydney autumn carnival.

Too Good To Refuse will be having his first start since New Year’s Eve when he takes on a field of well-performed sprinters in Saturday’s Open Hcp (1200m) at Eagle Farm.

He will then head to Sydney for the Group One Canterbury Stakes on March 4, the Group Three Newcastle Newmarket on March 17 and the Group One Doncaster Mile on April 1.

Trainer Desleigh Forster designed Too Good To Refuse’s summer campaign around improving his handicap rating and he did that with some top performances including a win in the Listed Keith Noud Stakes over 1200m.

Too Good To Refuse had two weeks in the paddock and has been back in work for five weeks at Forster’s Eagle Farm stable.

He had a strong hit-out on the Doomben course proper with stablemate Cylinder Beach two weeks ago.

“I was going to give them another hit-out between races last week but it was too hot. I don’t want to sap them before they return,” Forster said.

In all his summer starts Too Good To Refuse got well back before finishing strongly.

Forster will ask Jim Byrne to try to ride the gelding closer in Saturday’s race.

“Funny thing in Brisbane 12 months ago they were running races truly. Now they seem to want to dawdle along early and that doesn’t suit Too Good To Refuse,” Forster said.

“I’ll get Jimmy to ride him along early and we will see how he goes when fresh. The pace should be on early when we get to Sydney.”

Forster has changed his Sydney program to dodge superstar Winx.

“I was going to run Too Good To Refuse in the Ryder as a Doncaster lead-up but I hear Winx is going there,” she said.

But Forster will let Cylinder Beach take on Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“He will have his comeback run on Saturday week and then head to Sydney. I suppose someone has to run against Winx and the 2000 metres will suit my horse,” she said.