Softer Option to Kick Off Royalzel's Campaign

Trainer Gay Portelli isn't taking Saturday's Midway Handicap over 1300m for granted with promising 3YO Royalzel (Snitzel-Royal Time, by Show A Heart) even though it looks like a soft option, reports racingnsw.com.au. "As soon as I saw this Midway race I thought this is the race to resume in," Portelli said. "I had mixed emotions because I have two other horses in the race that are going particularly well. I've been setting the other two for Midway races. This bloke comes out of Group company, beats the handicapper with the 3YO allowance, you get James (McDonald) on, it's the whole kit and caboodle. I'm not saying he's over the line but it certainly looks good." Royalzel won three of his five starts as a 2YO, including the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final Handicap over 1600m back in July 2021. "This weekend is going to tell us a lot. He doesn't come out at trackwork every morning and say 'I'm a good horse'," Portelli said. "Out of all the 2YOs I won with this year he was the least expected based on his immaturity. He's been a revelation." Portelli enthused, "The bar keeps rising and he keeps jumping it and leaping it quite comfortably. He's got a machine that we can't see. That's one thing about buying horses, you just don't know what's in between those two shoulder blades." Unsold at public auction, Royalzel is the first foal of Group 3 winner Royal Tithe (Show a Heart-Slice of Royalty, by Johannesburg).