To this point of his racing career Art D’Amour has been like the student who finished as the dux of your high school.
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Give him an assignment and he passes with flying colours.
Now the Tamworth Tornado faces his most searching examination yet in Sunday’s $150,000 Country Championship Qualifier at Scone.
The unbeaten speedster chases a fifth win from as many starts when he tackles the 1400m feature.
Trainer Cody Morgan has been in the horse racing game long enough not to get too carried away and did his best to temper expectations leading into a cracking contest.
“He comes into this meeting a horse like All Summer Long 6.5kg worse at the weights for only beating her a half-length,” Morgan said.
“He did show some versatility in the (Country Championship) Preview, but he had a good run from a soft draw.
“On Sunday he is in a full field from (barrier) 11 and is not seasoned yet at 1400m, so it’s hard to be overly confident.”
But the mystery that comes with a galloper boasting an unbeaten record surrounds just how good they are. Sure Black Caviar won 25 on end, although her greatness was only really recognised as she reached double-figures.
Morgan is on record saying Art D’Amour is right up there with Prussian Secret as the best horse he has trained.
The son of Excellent Art certainly won like a horse going places in the preview when he chopped down his rivals with all the efficiency of a North Queensland canecutter.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday to see how he’ll go,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting that (the other day) because he had a lot against him then, but he’s a horse with a real will to win.
“He’s come through the race well and is good mentally.”
In an unique statistic, Art D’Amour will have his fifth different jockey on race day.
Darren Jones, Aaron Bullock, Thomas Huet and Ben Looker have all had one spin each, with Tye Angland the latest to fill the hotseat.
Despite this being Angland’s first ride for the Morgan stable, the jockey and trainer have a mateship stretching back nearly two decades.
“Getting Tye on board was always in the pipeline,” he said.
“We’ve been friends since the rodeo days when our dad’s competed on the circuit.
“He’ll probably want to catch up and talk about the Bendemeer Rodeo pre-race more than Art D’Amour.”
Art D’Amour was last rated a $7.00 chance on TAB Fixed Odds in a race where All Summer Long held favouritism at $4.60.
