Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Trainer Richard Litt’s affinity with former Godolphin stock is well known.
Rarely does he buy out of the blue army without success and this weekend he’ll unveil an ex-Godolphin recruit when Aleppo Pine makes his debut for Litt in a 1000m Benchmark 78 at Randwick.
Before that, though, Balkans is set to chase his fourth win for the stable in the TAB Handicap (1200m) at Canterbury on Wednesday.
All three of Balkans’ wins for the Warwick Farm trainer so far have come at Canterbury and Litt said if he can get conditions to suit he’d expect the five-year-old to be more than competitive.
“He’s pretty on the mark to do something so I don’t want to waste a run if everything doesn’t align,” he said.
“I’m a little bit on the fence, it’s a big field and the track’s a bit soft. The horse needs good ground, he’s in at the wrong time of year, and has a big weight so I’ve got to put all those things together.
“He’s very, very, well, Siena (Grima) rode him beautiful last start, the race mapped out nicely and he found the line good.
“He’s at peak fitness now and he’s ready to rock and roll.”
Grima has been again booked to ride Balkans and will carry the same weight as he did when a close third at the inner-west track two weeks ago.
Litt has a Benchmark 78 at Rosehill on Saturday week as a back-up and he’s quietly confident that a weekend win isn’t beyond him.
“He was only a cheapie ($30,000), he’s a lovely horse and he will win a Saturday race when everything aligns for him and I hope that’s this preparation,” he said.
Three-year-old Aleppo Pine set back Monarch Racing a cool $100,000 and Litt is confident he’ll prove to be a shrewd purchase, just as stakes winner Barber has been for the Monarch team.
The gelding won on debut for James Cummings, contested Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper lead ups before being stakes placed prior to joining Lindsay Park.
He won one of six for the Hayes team and Litt said he appears to have settled into his stable nicely.
“We’re just kicking him off over the 1000m and he’s going to be a really good addition,” he said.
“I was really happy with his trial the other day. He’s slotted in to our system really well, a lot better than others do.
“He had a bit of time in the paddock after leaving the Hayes’ and he’s come here and has done very well.”
