Smart sprinter News Alert did plenty wrong at his Melbourne debut but trainer Con Karakatsanis is hoping that experience will hold the gelding in good stead when he steps out at Sandown on Saturday.News Alert finished fourth to Eagle Falls in the Group Two Salinger Stakes down the straight six at Flemington during the Cup carnival.He will drop to Listed grade in the Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown and Karakatsanis is optimistic he can hold his own against the likes of record-breaking s
Smart sprinter News Alert did plenty wrong at his Melbourne debut but trainer Con Karakatsanis is hoping that experience will hold the gelding in good stead when he steps out at Sandown on Saturday.
News Alert finished fourth to Eagle Falls in the Group Two Salinger Stakes down the straight six at Flemington during the Cup carnival.
He will drop to Listed grade in the Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown and Karakatsanis is optimistic he can hold his own against the likes of record-breaking sprinter Lucky Secret.
"He is the type of horse who can do a lot wrong in his races and he did too many things wrong down the straight," Karakatsanis said.
"He ran off the track and then he ran in, he got a bit lost.
"He didn't know where he was going so to still box on was very encouraging considering he's dropping to a Listed race."
News Alert has missed a place just five times in 21 starts.
Karakatsanis has only prepared him for his past seven starts after taking over from Garry White.
He said the five-year-old had some ongoing issues and had to be carefully managed but was happy and well heading into Saturday.
"It's just a few niggling feet problems and a few issues chiropractic-wise," he said.
"Once he's happy he races well but if anything goes wrong he can get a bit sour and unhappy."
Veteran jockey Darren Gauci has ridden News Alert at his past two starts and has stuck with him at Sandown.
Karakatsanis said the gelding had worked well during the week and he was going into Saturday's sprint with plenty of confidence.
"He's done very well since the run, he's really settled in and he's full of beans," Karakatsanis said.
"Darren Gauci came over to ride him work on Tuesday and again this morning and his work has been good all week."
Karakatsanis will also start Mr Slick in the Rokk Ebony Hcp (1300m) and the race will be the gelding's easiest assignment for some time.
While his form is nothing to get excited about, Karakatsanis was surprisingly upbeat about Mr Slick's chances.
"He has been racing against the very best and, really, this week is the first time I've been happy with him," he said of the gelding who will be ridden by Shane Scriven.
"He'll be at odds but I wouldn't rule him out at all."
Stable star Black Piranha didn't come away with any of the big race spoils this spring but he wasn't far away in the Group One Emirates Stakes last Saturday when finishing fourth to All American.
The Stradbroke Handicap winner is now spelling and Karakatsanis is looking to one of his lesser lights to help him break his Melbourne duck on Saturday.
"I haven't had much luck with Piranha, he had a few luckless runs and even this bloke (News Alert) didn't have the best of luck," he said.
"A win would be a good way to end the carnival."