Fresh Aegon set for Group I Geary within leaders sights

Aegon has appreciated time between assignments from an early age and that selective approach continues to bring out the best in the five-year-old.

He has been sparingly raced throughout his career with six wins from 15 appearances and nearly $1.5 million banked for Cambridge trainer and partowner Andrew Forsman. Aegon will bid to add to his record in today’s Group I Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham where he will typically front up in a fresh state.

‘‘That suits him best, in the past as a younger horse he hasn’t coped too well with racing too closely together,’’ Forsman said. ‘‘I don’t know whether that will be the case forever, but at this stage it’s what he appreciates. He’s not an overly big horse and doesn’t take a lot to keep him fit. He’s not quirky and is very easy to train and does seem to race better on the fresh side.’’

Aegon, who emulated his late sire Sacred Falls with victory in the Group I New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old, hasn’t raced since a brief but successful Victorian spring carnival campaign.

He was a first-up winner of the Group III Moonga Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and then came from well back off an outside gate to finish fourth in the Group I Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.

‘‘The Moonga Stakes looked like a suitable race so we went over and had a go and he won so well and then improved up to the mile to give us confidence that he was back to near his best form,’’ Forsman said.

‘‘From there, it was about looking for suitable options for him and what he does on Saturday will determine what we do next. I’m very happy with the horse, he’s done well. He’s had a little bit of an interrupted prep with the trip back home and he had a week in the paddock.

‘‘He’s had some time out before he’s come back into it and that has worked well for him before so it shouldn’t be too much of a drama.’’

Aegon will be ridden by expatriate Kiwi jockey Michael Dee, who also enjoyed a lucrative spring with wins in the Group I1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Durston and the Group I VRC Derby (2500m) aboard Manzoice. ‘‘I don’t know how many more races he’ll have in New Zealand so we were thinking ahead as to who might be the best fit,’’ Forsman said.

‘‘We thought if it was a quiet enough weekend in Australia we might try and look for someone there who could stick with him next campaign and Michael was available.’’

Dee has also been booked for stablemate and debut winner Bella Ragazza in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) for two-year olds. She earned an early chance at black type after success at her Otaki debut and has since been stabled there with Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard.

Kiwi golfer Josh Geary posted his second sub-70 round in as many days to ensure he will be among the contenders for the Australian Open heading into the weekend.

Geary was five-under after rounds of 68 and 69 at the Open, played at the Victoria and Kingston Heath clubs in Melbourne yesterday. He finished in a three-way tie for third.

Playing Victoria for his second round, Geary had two bogeys and a birdie before he eagled the par-five 18th to sign for a one-under 69. He shot a fourunder 68 at the par-72 Kingston Heath on Thursday.

Fellow New Zealander world No 27 Ryan Fox, meanwhile, ensured he wouldn’t miss a second successive cut in Australia with a second round of four-under 68 at Kingston Heath.

Fox had six birdies and two bogeys in his second round to be one-under for the tournament, after he opened with a three-over 73. Having missed the cut at the Australian PGA a week ago, Fox was safely through to the weekend with the projected cut at one-over.

Adam Scott shared the lead with compatriot David Micheluzzi after a spectacular finish to his course-recordequalling second round at Victoria Golf Club.

Scott drained a long-range putt from off the green for eagle on the final hole to ice his flawless seven-under-par round of 63. He and Micheluzzi, who carded a 63 the previous day, are both at 134 after two rounds three shots ahead of the group with Geary.