Trainer Phillip Stokes believes bold frontrunner Club Liquid will be hard to beat if left alone in the lead at Flemington on Saturday.The Fasliyev five-year-old has had an eight-week break between runs since leading all the way for an easy win over The Gem in the Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup (1600m) on October 15 and the Morphettville trainer says the freshen up for the Zouki Hcp (1400m) will suit him."He's a 1400-metre to a mile (1600m) horse. I know he won the (2000m) Darwin Cup but the Fasli
Trainer Phillip Stokes believes bold frontrunner Club Liquid will be hard to beat if left alone in the lead at Flemington on Saturday.
The Fasliyev five-year-old has had an eight-week break between runs since leading all the way for an easy win over The Gem in the Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup (1600m) on October 15 and the Morphettville trainer says the freshen up for the Zouki Hcp (1400m) will suit him.
"He's a 1400-metre to a mile (1600m) horse. I know he won the (2000m) Darwin Cup but the Fasliyevs are a fresh breed," Stokes said.
"He won the Murray Bridge Cup after a six-week break after failing (when 15th of 16) in the Balaklava Cup (1600m) and he's had an eight-week freshen up since the Murray Bridge Cup.
"If he's the horse who won the Murray Bridge Cup he'll be hard to beat, but if the Balaklava Cup horse shows up he'll run last.
"If he gets his own way he looks like a good horse."
Club Liquid was trained in Victoria earlier in his career by Dan O'Sullivan and at his third start won a Ballarat Maiden (1400m) in August 2006, a race in which 2006 Victoria Derby and 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient was having his first start and finished seventh.
The gelding was subsequently sold and ended up in Darwin with trainer Dick Leech where he won four races at Fannie Bay including a 13-length victory in the Darwin Cup three runs back on August 4.
In a previous stint with Stokes in Adelaide, Club Liquid won a race an 1100m Class 3 race at Morphettville in September last year.
Saturday's race will be his first for Stokes this time around and he is opposed to smart gallopers Orbit Express, Count To Zero and Silky Smooth.
Mature-aged apprentice Glen Davis, 24, retains the ride on Club Liquid and his 3kg allowance brings him in with 53.5kg which is the limit weight.
Davis is on loan to the David Hayes stable for three months from Darwin-based Shane Clarke and rode his first winner for Hayes at Kilmore on Tuesday.
Stokes will also saddle up two-year-old Gunner Rock who makes his debut in the Western Health Fundraising Plate (1100m).
A $245,000 Gold Coast Magic Million Yearling Sale graduate, Gunner Rock won an 800m trial at Cheltenham on Monday beating the unraced River's Lane by a half-neck in 49.91s.
The Rock Of Gibraltar colt was to be ridden by Glen Boss but a replacement will be required as Boss on Thursday failed in his appeal against a careless riding suspension incurred on the Hayes-trained Warm Whispers at Moonee Valley last Friday night.
Boss can return to race riding next Thursday.
He also has to be replaced on six rides at Moonee Valley on Friday night as well as three others at Flemington - Last Man Out in the Leighton Contractors Hcp (2000m), El Mandon in the Allbern Print and Design Sprint (1200m) and Raffaello in the Zouki Handicap.