Theseo has right motor for BMW win
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday April 1, 2010
THESEO has all the major attributes required for The BMW, in most years a better race than the Golden Slipper.The BMW is a weight-for-age contest over 2400 metres requiring blood, guts, character and staying ability.No doubt the Golden Slipper has changed the face of Australian racing, pushing it more towards the youth and vibrancy in which residual return from breeding in many cases is as important as the prizemoney.Yes, it has produced spectacular racing.The two-year-olds are flash, fast and often green, but even in a bad year where a hotpot goes down, The BMW will produce the type of heart-stopping finish that would have stirred Banjo Paterson.For example, The BMW honour roll features greats and warhorses like Freemason which would not say die in a hectic dual with the outstanding Northerly in 2003.Theseo, of course, fits the winning mould. He is a tough frontrunner effective in any ground and he has Nash Rawiller, Sydney's best navigator on dodgy tracks of late. And when the whips are out, or put away, and his body goes into its lifting process, none lately has been more effective.Of course with the new whip rules, stewards will be counting closely the forehanded strikes before the 200m because The BMW is a race where plenty of early stoking is usually required.Theseo was second to Fiumicino, hardly as good as him, in The BMW last year. But Fiumicino was a real mudlark. What fits the Fiumicino profile against Theseo on Saturday?Well, No Wine No Song, an eight-year-old, has excellent wet-weather credentials. Last time out the gelding was fifth, beaten 2.5 lengths, by Theseo in the 2000m Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill on March 20. The 2400m journey will suit the veteran better. Also trainer Kevin Moses has taken $200 about him winning.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald