Call Da Vinci chasing Winx glory

By Glenn Davis

Talented gelding Call Da Vinci saves his best for wet tracks and is favoured to do the same if given the green light to start in the Group 3 Winx Guineas at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

The Sunshine Coast track for the big Caloundra Cup day meeting is in the heavy range, which was music to the ears for the Bevan Laming stable.

However, Laming’s son Richard is keeping his cards close to his chest with Call Da Vinci, who could be saved for Doomben a week later.

“We want to study the field and his opposition before deciding if he’ll run,” Richard Laming said.

“He’s a bit of a non-winner and I won’t make a decision until the last minute.

“I dropped him back in grade last start when he ran third in the Cooney at Ipswich, but he still couldn’t put them away.”

Call Da Vinci drew barrier 13 and is a $10 chance behind Bjorn Baker’s $2.35 favourite Within The Law in the latest markets for the 1600 metre feature.

A son of Under The Louvre, Call Da Vinci ran into subsequent Group 1 J.J. Atkins champion Cool Archie when second in his race debut at Doomben in April last year before franking the form with wins at his next two starts at Ipswich.

He has since raced mostly in stakes events, which saw him finish third in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group 1 J.J. Atkins at Eagle Farm last year.

Call Da Vinci’s winter form last year earned him a trip to Melbourne, where he embarked on a four-start spring campaign.

While he didn’t win, he wasn’t disgraced despite being unplaced in races like the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes and Group 2 Sandown Guineas.

Call Da Vinci returned to Queensland and produced an eye-catching second to the Robert Heathcote-trained Fabulantes in the QTIS Jewel Final at the Gold Coast in March en route to the Queensland Racing Carnival.

After finishing second in the Listed Daybreak Lover and third in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas, the stable hoped to start Call Da Vinci in last month’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.

“We thought about starting him in the Stradbroke, if he could qualify,” Richard Laming said.

“But, it backfired when I put blinkers on him for the 1400 metre race (Fred Best Classic) at Eagle Farm when he pulled his head off.”

'Team Laming' has stables in two states with 20 in work at the Gold Coast and 24 at their Cranbourne base. 

They are not concerned with a likely heavy track on Saturday.

“The wet won’t worry him as he’s won and been placed a few times on heavy tracks,” Richard Laming said.