Tollesprit 28/08/09

SPRING IN HIS STEP
ADAM BOURKE
28/08/2009 9:54:00 AM
THIS weekend will help shape the spring fortunes of Bendigo trainer Shane Fliedner.
Fliedner’s two best three-year-olds Tollesprit and Fomalite resume in Melbourne tomorrow and Sunday respectively.
Tollesprit is already rated one of the premier three-year-olds in Victoria, with the son of Bel Esprit on the fifth line of betting in early markets for the $1m Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in October.
As a two-year-old Tollesprit won twice and was placed second once in three starts and the form around those runs is strong.
After cruising to an impressive trial win at Bendigo last Friday, Tollesprit resumes in the $125,000 Group Three McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield tomorrow.
“He’s probably vulnerable on Saturday over 1200m in such a hot race, but we have to start him off somewhere,’’ Fliedner said yesterday.
“I’m really happy with the horse, but this will just be a good guide to where we go in the spring.
“He’s drawn well (barrier three) but it will all depend on how the track is playing.
“If it’s a leaders track it won’t suit us at all because he won’t race up on the pace.
“My thought all along has been that Tollesprit will be best suited when he gets out to a mile.’’
Tollesprit will follow a similar path to Fliedner’s former smart sprinter Classiconi.
Classiconi ran a first-up second in the 2005 McNeil Stakes before running fourth in the C.S Hayes Stakes (1200m), third in the Guineas Prelude (1400m) and he won the Listed Concept Sports Stakes (1400m) before running a gallant fifth in the Caulfield Guineas behind Econsul.
“We probably won’t run Tollesprit in the C.S. Hayes Stakes,’’ Fliedner said.
“We’ll take each race as it comes and make our plans from there, but it’s fair to say it will be a similar path to Classiconi.’’
Classiconi was no slouch earning more than $330,000 from just 22 career starts before leg problems took their toll.
However, Fliedner is confident Tollesprit is a better horse than Classiconi.
“They have similar attributes, but Tollesprit probably has a little bit better turn of foot than what Classiconi did,’’ Fliedner said.