Champion rider Craig Williams has been engaged to partner ATOMIC FORCE when he resumes at Moonee Valley next Saturday 25/8. Craig will be aboard Atomic Force on Tuesday morning when the pair will have a hit out together leading into the 1000m SW&P Listed Race.
Atomic Force has never been better according to his regular work rider and travelling foreman Shane Treweek.
Last Saturday the pair worked in the company with a Mick Price stable workmate and they recorded sizzling sectionals for the final 400m.
Shane Treweek & Darren Smith together after winning the Gr1 Railway Stakes in NZ
Shane has advised us the horse is ready to go and with his awesome fresh record ATOMIC FORCE we expect him to be very competitive first up with 5: 1-3-1. We are keen to get him to the track on Saturday week.
Especially under Set Weights and Penalties where the set weight for the boys is 56.0kgs and Atomic Force as a dual Gr1 winner will only be asked to carry an extra 4.0kgs. Under these conditions he is very well placed. These race conditions do tend to favour the class horses as the handicappers can’t penalise them and the lower rated horses do not get the weight relief of a handicap.
Atomic Force is noted as a horse that is very capable at carrying big weights to victory.
Historically
1st in a Gr1 at SW&P carrying 58.0kgs at 1200m
1st in a LR at SW&P carrying 57.5kgs
1st Welter carrying 59.0kgs over 1100m on a 54.0kg limit
1st over 1000m in 56.23 carrying 59.0kgs on a 53.0kg limit
2nd in a Gr1 Hcp carrying 59.0kgs over 1200m in a sizzling 1:06.94 on a 53.0kg limit
2nd in a Qlty over 1100m beaten a nose carrying 60.5kgs on a 53.0kg limit
2nd at WFA Gr2 over 1200m carrying 58.5kgs
3rd at WFA Gr3 over 1000m beaten 0.1 x 0.1 carrying 58.5kgs
3rd in a Qlty LR carrying 60.5kgs on a 53.0kg limit
4th in a Qlty LR carrying 61.5kgs on a 53.0kg limit
Also he is very adaptable. Whilst he is much happier on top of the ground, he is very adept at ploughing through the rain affected surfaces as well.
He has won
5 on a Good
1 on a Dead
1 on a Slow
4 on a Heavy
So with the early Spring in Melbourne trending towards wet tracks this will not be a concern.
So with the facts and figures on Atomic Force showing his versatility and the awesome reports on his trackwork filtering out of Melbourne we are very happy with our star sprinter as he tunes up for the bigger sprints later in the Spring.
However a word of caution for his followers. Last time Atomic Force ventured to Melbourne he received barriers 9 of 10 (Slickpix), 9 of 9 (McEwen) and 7 of 8 (Manikato). If he is that unlucky again on Saturday week at Moonee Valley, we would have no hesitation scratching the horse and waiting for the 1100m of the Slickpix Stakes the following week if we felt so inclined.