Bound for the $3 million Big Dance on the first Tuesday in November, Direct Fire resumes at Rosehill Gardens today when contesting the 1200m Benchmark 72 Midway Handicap.
Anna Roper takes the ride and offers a two-kilogram claim, meaning the 5YO Dracarys gelding will carry 55kg and jump from gate 5 in the $120,000 event.
“He’s ticking along quite well; I’m really happy with him,” Bateup said.
“It’s a nice race for him to kick things off. He’s drawn a nice gate.
“The 1200m might be a bit sharp for him as he gets older and up in grade, but if he gets the race run to suit him, he could give a bit of cheek and win without surprising.”
Direct Fire won his way into the rich Big Dance final when triumphing for Amy McLucas in the 2025 Bega Cup (1600m) back in February.
A gutsy front-running effort, it was the tough gelding’s fourth career win.
Now back from a spell and tracking toward the November feature, which will be run and won at Royal Randwick on Tuesday, November 4, Bateup is happy with Direct Fire’s progress in the lead-up to his first-up assignment at Rosehill Gardens.
“He’s had a trial and jumpout and come up nicely,” Bateup said.
“If anything, he’s actually come to hand quicker than I expected, and that gives me the advantage and flexibility of changing things around if something does go wrong, whether it’s bad weather, a bad barrier, or something else.”
While today’s Midway Handicap is the focus, a second-up run in the 1300m Benchmark 72 Midway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on September 27th is the tentative second-up plan.
“There is nothing set in stone, and we’ll take it race-by-race,” Bateup said.
“There is a good progression of Midways at the moment, including a 1300m at Rosehill later this month, and with his rating, he gets in quite nicely.
“Even if he knocks one off like he did last preparation, he can follow a pretty similar path, and I’d like to be presenting him for the Big Dance fifth-up.”
A Midway winner for Amy McLucas in a 1300m Benchmark 72 Handicap at Rosehill Gardens back in November, Direct Fire should be thereabouts in upcoming races.
While Bateup conceded the Big Dance will be a very hard race to win, it was still the stable’s goal, with life-changing prize money up for grabs.
“It’s going to be a really hard race with the way they have changed the eligibility races, as you are taking on The Gong and Group 3 winners,” Bateup said.
“With the ratings of the horses he will be up against, it’s hard to be a winning chance, but the Big Dance prizemoney is 45k down to tenth.
“Plus, it will be a good day out for the owners, and hopefully we can have him ready to run his best race.”
On a big day for the stable, Bateup has Direct Fire racing in town, while North Star Miss (Brock Ryan) takes on the 1200m Super Maiden Handicap at Kembla Grange.
On Tuesday, the stable then has a big team of runners entered at Moruya, with Lady Yarrow (Jess Taylor) to headline the team’s chances in the 1210m Maiden Plate.
Words: Jeff Hanson
Image: Bradley Photos