Winning and a mistake are words not usually uttered in the same sentence, but Ron Quinton reckons it is fairly appropriate for Boss Lane.
"I probably made the mistake winning a stakes race with him early because he paid the penalty in the ratings," said Quinton, whose emerging sprinter won the listed Brian Crowley Stakes as an early three-year-old at just his third start a year ago.
"He went up 14 points when he won and that nearly put him out of business for the next prep. Gradually he got down in the ratings and his form has been a lot more solid since."
With the spring carnival merry-go-round firmly planted in Melbourne, Quinton will roll out the top talent in his boutique Randwick yard in Sydney on Saturday.
Old marvel Monton will go in search of another win at Rosehill, group-winning mare Intimate Moment will seek a form-reversing win over a trip and then there is Boss Lane, relishing a return to restricted grade this campaign.
Boss Lane was sharing $5.50 favouritism with Emblems in the last race as he seeks to string together a hat-trick of wins for the first time in his career. And Quinton reckons he is certainly defying the accepted theory about his breeding during a dry Sydney spring.
"He's got wonderful good track form and I think everyone has got the Dubawis as wet trackers," Quinton said. "If you do the stats on Dubawis all around the world they are better on top of the ground and his good track record is near faultless.
"This is the fittest I've ever had him. It was considered [going to Melbourne], but we decided not to worry. We've told the owners he's a horse they're going to have longevity with as he's a beautifully-sound horse and all going well he should race forever."
The same could probably be said about Monton, who keeps turning up campaign after campaign and banking sizeable cheques for his owners.
Tried and tested at the top level many times in the past, Quinton has managed to nurse the eight-year-old back to his best after shifting focus away from the rich Randwick miles.
It means Monton was slugged with 61.5kg for the feature Filante Handicap – not allowing for Taylor Marshall's three-kilogram claim – in a rematch with former Hong Kong star Aomen (62kg). Anthony Cummings will not claim with Aomen, electing to book senior jockey Blake Shinn.
"It's another suitable race for Monton," Quinton said. "He ran very well last start and it's very similar opposition. He's gone up half a kilo and naturally the winner has gone up two. He's in good order and these are the sort of races he runs well in.
"He's just shy of those real Group 1 gallopers. He can carry those big weights in these sort of races. He's an eight-year-old and has won over $800,000 and he's been a good old stable stalwart."
Marshall, who bagged a historic four-timer at Rosehill in May in his first day competing at a Saturday metropolitan meeting, will be legged aboard all three of Quinton's runners as well as Allan Denham's Alberto Magic.
