By Glenn Davis
Trainer Jason Edwards is hoping for a QTIS windfall before the end of the current racing season with talented three-year-old Pentito, who makes his comeback at Doomben on Wednesday.
Pentito returns in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Benchmark 65 Handicap over 1200 metres and will be ridden by Ben Thompson.
Edwards was hopeful Pentito, a son of Spill The Beans, would develop into a Queensland Derby hope during the TAB Queensland Racing Carnival but opted against that mission after the gelding finished third at Eagle Farm in March.
“I ran him over 1600 metres at the Sunshine Coast in February but he went too bad and didn’t finish off,” Edwards said.
“He pulled up a bit distressed so I brought him back in distance when he ran third at Eagle Farm at his last run.
“Those last two runs told me he wasn’t quite ready yet for a winter carnival campaign.”
Pentito, who will jump from barrier three, has been in work for 11 weeks and has had the benefit of a barrier trial at Doomben, where he ran fourth to the Chris Anderson-trained Rubiquitous.
“He’s doing well and I’ve always had a good opinion of him but we haven’t seen the best of him yet,” Edwards said.
“He was the only horse with steel shoes in his barrier trial and they ran fast time.
“The form out of the trial is good as Rubiquitous ran third at Ipswich last Saturday.”