Gold Coast trainer Adam Campton is no longer able to call upon his favourite Brazilian Elione Chaves to ride stable star Deepour but he thinks he’s found the next best option instead.
The emerging trainer struck up a fruitful relationship with Chaves after he flew out the champion Swedish-based hoop earlier this year, but jokes he has a good replacement in premier rider and brother-in-law Jimmy Orman on Saturday.
The pair have enjoyed winners together before, and such is his opinion of Deepour, Campton said he would love to try his luck in Victoria during the spring if his upward trajectory continues.
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Campton still stays in touch with Chaves after he returned to Sweden recently and said he’s keen to see him back on Deepour at some point after he ended up in his stable when an online sale went pear-shaped for another owner.
“It would have been (Chaves) riding, it is the brother-in-law on now,” Campton laughed.
“The Brazilian rings every few days to check in on him, he loved him.
“He is in Sweden, he is flying there, he said Australian racing has made him a better rider.
“If he keeps going the way he’s going and winning this horse, we could get him to Melbourne, I’d love to see him down the straight and if Jimmy couldn’t ride him – we’d give Chaves the chance to get back on him.”
Resuming over the unsuitable 1000m in the Listed Lightning a fortnight ago, Deepour put in an eye-catching run to rattle home for third, giving Campton reason to believe he is the horse to beat in the $120,000 Class 6 Handicap (1100m).
Elione Chaves made his name in Queensland aboard Deepour. Picture: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography
Even with the widest barrier on Saturday, Deepour has been well supported with TAB, crunched from $3.20 to $2.60.
“We’ll leave it to Jimmy, I think you can just ride him like the best horse in the race, but you don’t want to let them get away with an easy lead upfront because it’s not a track like Eagle Farm,” Campton said.
“He’s a good judge, Jimmy, if he’s within reach of them, I think he will pick them up.
“We aren’t anywhere near the bottom of him yet, I was confident he’d run a big race first-up, it was always going to be a big ask to win because they were handy horses.
“His trackwork and everything he does shows he is a good horse, he has a turn of foot, he means a lot to me early in my career.”
The time-honoured Ramornie Handicap (1200m) could be next on the radar next month at Grafton for Deepour if he is able to win at Ipswich on Saturday.
It comes as Campton enjoyed a breakthrough with on Wednesday with the promising Catwalk Criminal, who he said is headed to Saturday grade next weekend at the Sunshine Coast.