Asgarda opens favourite for Wagga Town Plate after 'perfect' barrier draw

Wagga trainer Doug Gorrel described the barrier draw as 'perfect' as she came up with gate four for the feature sprint.

There was cheering at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Tuesday morning when Asgarda came out with the prime alley.

It certainly put a spring in Gorrel's step.

"I'm good now, I'm excited with that gate, really excited with that gate," Gorrel said.

"We won't put the horse before the cart, we'll still need luck in running.

"It's not an easy race and that's why I'll be happy if a couple of the toppies come out."

Asgarda, a dominant last start winner of the $1 million Country Championships Final, gets in on the minimum at 54 kilograms and Kayla Nisbet retains the ride.

She will be out to become the first local horse since Allez Cheval in 2000 to win the Town Plate.

Gorrel said barrier four was perfect.

"If I could have hand-picked one, it probably would have been close to that," he said.

"Three, four, five so four's perfect. Very happy with that.

"And also very happy, without being mean, that a couple of the well-credentialled horses there are drawn very ordinary so you'd think if they have a plan b, or another option, it might just even fall away by one or two. That never hurts.

"But that's out of our hands, what is in our hands is that Kayla can possie up wherever she wants, it gives her options. She can sit just off the leaders or she can pop back another pair. She can really do what she wants from that gate.

"We'll leave it in her capable hands."

Gorrel initially planned to nominate Asgarda for the Wagga Town Plate and also the group three Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) on Saturday.

In the end, he put all his eggs in the Town Plate and the first part of the plan has come off.

"It was doing my head in having two plans, just for little things," Gorrel explained.

"Little plans around the horse, but also certainly the travel would be a problem. You don't want to have two big trips within the month, really, if you can help it at this stage of her career.

"Another six months and she'll be a seasoned five-year-old and it won't worry her as much.

"But we're in with a shot. We've got no excuses with the draw, it's just now up to whether she's good enough or not."

Gorrel will go into the Wagga Town Plate with confidence on the back of her effort in the Country Championships Final at Randwick.

"She's kept stepping up but that was by far the biggest hurdle she had to jump and she did it so easily," he said.

"To beat Bandi's Boy and some very nice horses just behind her, even that Listen To The Band was in the race, to beat those horses says she deserves her spot.

"Can she go to the next level? Who knows. But she's certainly got every opportunity and I think the best you'll see of her is in 12 months as a five-year-old mare."

Gorrel said everything was in order with Asgarda heading into the event.

"Perfect. She's really well," he said.

"She just did one slow easy canter lap (Tuesday) morning and that's it now. She won't get a saddle on her (Wednesday).

"We've just got to keep her happy and make sure she eats up, which she generally does."

Courtesy of TAB

$4.40 Asgarda

$5.50 Our Last Cash

$6.00 Gravina

$7.00 Niolini Vito

$9.50 Rocketing By

$11 Body Bob

$13 Mnementh

$14 The Prodigal Son

$15 Hell I Am

$23 Demanding Mo

$26 Crosshaven

$41 Listen To The Band, Merc

$51 Wizard Of Oz

$61 Coastwatch, Tap N Run

$81 Secret Plan, Marnix

$101 Pokerjack, Big Day Out