Xtravagant Seeks Happier Outcome

Last season's champion three-year-old Xtravagant will make his second start at Flemington tomorrow (Saturday), and connections are hoping for a very different outcome.

The four-year-old son of Pentire will line up in the Gr. 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality over 1200 metres, the first step in a campaign aimed at higher honours later in the spring.

A ton of hype surrounded Xtravagant when he made his last visit to Flemington in March, stepping out on to the track as favourite for the Gr. 1 Australian Guineas after scintillating eight-length romps in the Gr. 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and NRM Sprint. But he wasn't on his game in the prestigious three-year-old feature, fading in the straight to finish eighth.

“Everyone over there is very happy with him leading into the race."

Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, who train the valuable entire for Te Akau Racing, are hoping for a different story this spring. After a small setback last week, where a slight temperature spike ruled him out of last Saturday's Listed Chandler McLeod Stakes at Moonee Valley, things have come together nicely in the lead-up to tomorrow's A$200,000 race.

“Everything seems to be on track,” Richards said. “Everyone over there is very happy with him leading into the race. Obviously he's had a couple of little hiccups along the way, but hopefully those are behind him now and he'll run up to his best this weekend.

“Damien Oliver worked him this (Wednesday) morning over 1000 metres and was very pleased with his work. We're looking forward to Saturday. It's been a bit of a quiet winter for us, so it's exciting to have the good ones like Xtravagant, Heroic Valour and Shillelagh starting to come out again for the spring.”

Xtravagant will be ridden by Oliver tomorrow and will jump from gate seven. He is the second highest-weighted runner in the 12-horse field with 57.5 kilograms.

The 59-kilogram topweight is Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre. The six-year-old son of Excellent Art finished second first-up in the Gr. 3 Heath, finishing half a length behind Redzel. Trainer Robert Smerdon was satisfied with the A$1.7 million earner's performance.

“I probably went in expecting him to win the race, so I was disappointed we didn't, but he had nothing to cart him into the race and he had to sustain a long run from a fair way back,” he told AAP. “I thought his effort was very good in defeat and it probably indicates he's going as good as he ever has.”