Church Boy extends winning streak with Villiers Stakes a real possibility
Church Boy is leaving trainer David Vandyke with no choice but to set him for the Villiers Stakes next month.
Sydney’s most improved racehorse made it four consecutive city wins this spring with a powerful effort to take out the Cellarbrations The Grange Wyoming Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Vandyke conceded a Villiers Stakes campaign was the last thing he was thinking about with Church Boy after he ran a debut second for the stable at Kembla Grange back in September.
It is rare for any horse to reel off four successive wins in the metropolitan area these days but that is what Church Boy has managed since that Kembla loss, virtually demanding a Villiers start.
“If you said to me after his first run this preparation that this horse would be winning four straight including a Benchmark 80 on a Saturday I would have thought that is a bit steep,” Vandyke said.
“He had only won a maiden last preparation at his first start.
“But when you are in form like this horse is, I’m not going to argue.
“The plan was to just take him through the grades this preparation and he has done that.
“We might have to run him in the better races now. I don’t know if there is anywhere else to go with him.”