GEAR CHANGE HOPEFULLY GETS IRON MAN BACK IN WINNING FORM

ED O’Rourke has made an important gear change on Iron Man ahead of his Royal Randwick resumption on Saturday.

The Hawkesbury trainer this morning outlined his reason for replacing blinkers with visors for the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1200m).

“Iron Man thought he had a couple of races won last campaign with the blinkers on when narrowly beaten,” O’Rourke said.

“I have galloped him in the visors this time and he was fine.

“By putting them on instead of the blinkers, he will be able to see other horses but still remain focused.”

O’Rourke is looking forward to another successful campaign with Iron Man, who won the first two starts (at Canterbury and Rosehill Gardens) of his last preparation, and then was placed on no less than five occasions, the last four in a row, before heading for a break.

He has trialled twice – second at home over 800m on March 25 and third over 900m at Rosehill Gardens on April 4 – and is ready to go back to the races.

Tyler Schiller rode the five-year-old gelding in his two wins last winter, and also has been aboard in his two recent trials.

O’Rourke wasn’t concerned about overnight rain which resulted in a “Soft 7” rating this morning for Randwick, where the rail is out six metres from the 1000m to the winning post and five metres for the remainder of the circuit.

“Iron Man has won on soft ground, but some of his best form has been on good tracks,” he said.

“He’s pretty versatile in that regard.”

Depending on Iron Man’s first-up performance, O’Rourke is eyeing a feature country mission with the gelding.

That is the $200,000 Wagga Town Plate (1200m) on May 1 on the first day of the annual carnival.

“I’ve never had a runner at Wagga, but the Town Plate looks a nice race for Iron Man,” O’Rourke said.

. Jason Collett is back on talented Newcastle two-year-old Buffalo as trainer David Atkins seeks a Group 1 breakthrough in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes (1600m).

Collett rode the Written By youngster at his first three starts this campaign, including a Newcastle 2YO Maiden Plate (1200m) victory on March 20.

However, Zac Purton came from Hong Kong to ride the gelding in his late closing third to unbeaten Victorian juvenile Vinrock in the Group 1 Sires (1400m) at Randwick on April 5.

Collett was aboard Sires runner-up State Visit, who will now be ridden by James McDonald in the Champagne.

Story John Curtis, April 17, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos