Another Guineas crown awaits Morton’s Fork

A carefully conceived, long-range plan is set to be fulfilled when Morton’s Fork steps out in Saturday’s G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

Godolphin’s head trainer in Australia John O’Shea began preparing Morton’s Fork for the Guineas when he sent the colt to Melbourne last Spring to win another three-year-old feature, the G2 Sandown Guineas.

O’Shea has since raced Morton’s Fork exclusively in Melbourne where the colt has performed well and trained on nicely.

“He’s been set for one race this preparation - the Australian Guineas,” O’Shea said.

“He’s fit and right at the top of his game, there’s no reason he can’t be right in the finish.”

The son of Ad Valorem has finished just behind the placegetters in his two runs of his current campaign, the most recent when fourth to the talented Hey Doc at Flemington two weeks ago.

“It was a nice run last start where he got cluttered up,” he said.

Jockey Craig Williams, who retains the ride on Saturday, said Morton’s Fork had been doing its best work over the final stages and should be at his peak on Saturday.

“He drew an inside gate and was never really happy racing tight,” Williams said.

“But even so, he stretched out well over the last bit and was finding the line really nicely.”

With the Randwick meeting under threat from rain and the prospect of a dry track in Melbourne, the Australian Guineas has attracted a strong group of Sydney-trained three-year-olds, including last Spring’s G1 Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon and the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet.

Hey Doc also opposes Morton’s Fork again as does the in-form Oak Door.

But O’Shea is expecting his colt to be competitive.

“He finished his Spring campaign off really well and he hasn’t put a foot wrong this time in,” he said.

“He’s shown that it would be an advantage for him to draw out, he loves a bit of galloping room.”

That wish was granted at the barrier draw where Morton’s Fork drew the outside gate in the 16-horse field.