Forster to back judgment with Norse Code

By he drew

Trainer Desleigh Forster is a good listener but will back her own instincts with Norse Code who returns from a brief Melbourne campaign to run at Eagle Farm on Wednesday.Norse Code, who tackles the Analie Handicap (1500m), was trained by Forster for most of his career before connections decided to send him to Peter Moody in Melbourne where there were more opportunities in staying races.The four-year-old had five starts for Moody which included a Stony Creek win and two placings at Sale and Stawe

Trainer Desleigh Forster is a good listener but will back her own instincts with Norse Code who returns from a brief Melbourne campaign to run at Eagle Farm on Wednesday.

Norse Code, who tackles the Analie Handicap (1500m), was trained by Forster for most of his career before connections decided to send him to Peter Moody in Melbourne where there were more opportunities in staying races.

The four-year-old had five starts for Moody which included a Stony Creek win and two placings at Sale and Stawell before his last-start sixth in restricted class over 2040 metres at Moonee Valley on February 6.

Glen Boss rode Norse Code on that occasion and told Moody he had reservations whether the Viking Ruler gelding could stay which was a factor in connections deciding to bring him back to Queensland.

Forster has always believed Norse Code could stay and gave him his chance as a three-year-old in the Group Three Grand Prix Stakes (2100m) and Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm during last year's Brisbane winter carnival.

Norse Code ran into wet tracks on both occasions finishing fifth, beaten only two lengths by the Rob Heathcote-trained Bell Academy on a heavy track in the Grand Prix before failing on a slow track in the Queensland Derby when 18th to the Moody-trained Riva San.

"He was a bit unlucky with the weather and he should nearly have won the Grand Prix when a run closed on him," Forster said.

"In the Derby, he drew the outside and had to be ridden forward but he's not at his best in the wet."

Forster is not doubting Boss' assessment of Norse Code as a stayer but she feels maturity has been his greatest enemy in distance races.

"His form in Melbourne wasn't too bad and maybe he is only a 1600 to 1800 metre horse," she said.

"I'll run him over 1500 metres tomorrow and then step him up to 1800 metres in 10 days and then see how he's going.

"I'm not sure about the winter carnival yet. He's a laid-back horse and is a one-pacer so I'll wait and see what happens then."

But Forster hasn't given up hope that Norse Code could prove some of his detractors wrong in staying races.

"I always thought he would stay but he's still six months to a year off fully maturing," she said.

"I'd like to try a few different things with him over a staying trip.

"In Melbourne he was ridden aggressively and he led the day he won at Stony Creek."

Forster will instruct jockey Ric McMahon to ride Norse Code in a similar manner on Wednesday.

"He's coming back a lot in distance so he'll need to be ridden aggressively as he's a one-pacer," she said.