Racing
Kimochi on target for All-Aged tilt
Kimochi will step up to 1400m for the first time since her Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes win last spring when she runs in the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes.
Well-performed mare Kimochi will be chasing her second elite level victory over 1400m when she spearheads trainer Gary Portelli's runners at the final Group One meeting of the Sydney autumn carnival.
Kimochi is set to step back up to 1400m for the first time this campaign in Saturday's Group 1 All-Aged Stakes at Randwick.
The weight-for-age All-Aged and the Champagne Stakes (1600m) for two-year-olds are the final two Group 1 races of the Sydney autumn.
Kimochi hit the line strongly for second first-up in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Randwick last month before a game fifth in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on April 5, won by Briasa.
Portelli said the All-Aged Stakes (1400m) had been a race on his radar for the four-year-old this autumn, with Kimochi having already won a Group 1 over that distance in Melbourne last spring in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
"She's come through the run well (in the TJ Smith) and she's in good order," Portelli said.
"It's a perfect preparation, she had a month between runs from first-up to second-up and two weeks to the third-up run.
"I'm pretty happy with her but it's a pretty tough race."
Portelli is hopeful Kimochi can draw a softer barrier than in the TJ Smith Stakes, having jumped from the outside gate last start in the field of 13 with Nash Rawiller aboard.
"It was a good run," Portelli said.
"She was trapped three-wide and just kept battling away. Nash was pretty confident that had we drawn a better gate we would have got a better result.
"The 1400m is a perfect distance for her. It's always been a race we thought would be a perfect race for her over the seven furlongs at Randwick but it's going to be a strong All-Aged Stakes. We know what we're up against but she'll run well if she draws well."
Portelli's Randwick entries for Saturday's meeting are also scheduled to include four-year-old gelding Encap who was one of the eye-catching runners in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) last start when charging home between runners late to finish a close third.
Portelli is set to try Encap over 2000m for the first time in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m).
The trainer indicated Encap's performance on Saturday would help determine whether he presses on to races such as the Hollindale Stakes (1800m) and Doomben Cup (2000m) in Queensland or is freshened for a potential Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) tilt.
"We've always been wanting to try him at 2000m and he's in such good order that I think now is the time to try," Portelli said.
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