Cobra Ready to Strike Again on Saturday

Saturday is likely to see the return of exciting 3YO gelding Shelby Cobra (Toronado-Segenhoe Valley, by Dane Shadow) at Morphettville in Adelaide. Raced in Rupert Legh's silks, like fellow Toronado gelding Masked Crusader who closed strongly to finish runner-up in last Saturday's Gr1 TJ Smith Stakes, Shelby Cobra will have a light campaign, according to racenet.com.au, one which will see the son of Swettenham Stud's impressive dual UK Group 1-winning miler Toronado (High Chaparral) restricted to sprint trips; that's despite Shelby Cobra winning the Listed Amanda Elliott Stakes over 1400m at Flemington last spring. Out of the well-named mare Segenhoe Valley (ex Scone), the progressive 3YO has been entered for Caulfield's $150,000 VOBIS Gold Dash (1100m), with trainer Michael Moroney observing, "We think he's a sprinter mainly, he may get a mile, but we're treating him as a sprinter. I think the Toronados seem to get better with more time… Like the horse of Hawkesy's (Masked Crusader), [who] looks pretty good, he's taken time and this bloke is the same mould, he's shown a lot of ability." Moroney confirmed Shelby Cobra will have a light campaign this time in before being aimed at Melbourne's Spring Carnival.