Heathcote Plans Spring Assault

By Bart Sinclair, Sunday, 15 August 2010
 
PREMIER Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote is ready to attack the interstate spring carnivals with the talented Buffering his lead campaigner. Buffering will travel to Sydney tomorrow to run in the Up And Coming Stakes at Warwick Farm on Saturday. Buffering enhanced his excellent record with an impressive first-up win at Eagle Farm last Wednesday. The Mossman three-year-old took his record to five wins from six starts when he scored over 1000m on a rain-affected track. His performances on good surfaces have been equally impressive but the run of poor tracks in Sydney in the past month hold no fears for Heathcote.
Heathcote had engaged Dan Nikolic for Buffering but he was suspended at Caulfield last Saturday and can only ride this week if he is successful in an appeal.
"I'm happy to wait for Dan's appeal but I have to be realistic that he is far from certain to be successful so I have asked Glyn Schofield to go on standby and he has agreed," Heathcote said.
Heathcote also has a plan to take Woorim straight to Melbourne early next month. He is likely to have his first run at Moonee Valley on September 11. "Initially I'll concentrate on races up to 1400m but the owner has an idea he might shape up as a Cox Plate runner so that is in the back of our mind if he really takes to the Moonee Valley track," Heathcote said.
Ipswich Cup winner Our Lukas is another going south. He will be aimed at Victorian country cups and there is a nice 1800 mtr handicap at Flemington on the big Tuesday in November. It should be exciting for the connections. Acquired will also join them for a couple of the nice ‘mares’ races if she comes up again!