Elephant thriving ahead of Sandown Stakes

Elephant will attempt to return to his winning ways when he lines-up in the Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) on Saturday.

The five-year-old gelding was handed his first defeat by the barest of margins in the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley earlier this month and trainers David and Emma-Lee Browne believe he can return to winning form this weekend.

David Browne has been pleased with the way Elephant has come through that run and believes Saturday’s run will be a good lead-in to the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) next month.

“I am pretty happy with how he has progressed from his last start, so I am looking forward to seeing him out and about again,” Browne told SENTrack.

“He seems to be enjoying everything and his work over the last two weeks has been good.

“I think that (Sandown Stakes) gives us a really good shot at the Toorak next start and the weights should set us up right for that.”

Browne is also looking forward to lining up Rhinoceros in the Victoria Derby Preview (1800m) at Flemington on Wednesday.

The Vadamos colt won his maiden last start at Sandown and Browne said he has been thriving in the lead-up to Wednesday’s test.

“He is bouncing around like he hasn’t had a run,” he said. “He is a pretty good doer, he doesn’t get offended by too much, he just keeps on trucking.”

Rising stocks of Butter Chicken

Lightly-raced mare Butter Chicken has made quite the impression in her fledgling career.

The Savabeel four-year-old featured prominently last summer, winning one of her three starts, placing in her two other outings, including the Gr.2 Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield in February.

She resumed with a pleasing trial win over 1190m at Cranbourne last month before finishing eighth in the Gr.2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington earlier this month.

She suffered interference in her first-up run and trainer Grahame Begg is looking forward to stepping her up in trip on Friday in the Gr.2 Stock Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.

"She experienced traffic, from barrier three it was always going to be a messy race. The tempo of the race didn't set up how we thought it would have been going into it,” Begg told Racing.com.

"She did wind up late when she got some clear galloping room. Steps to a mile at her next start in the Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley and hopefully she will be able to put it all together."

Butter Chicken was purchased out of Pencarrow Stud’s 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $800,000 by bloodstock agent Dean Hawthorne.