After a career that started in England with a debut win and then a stint in Sydney, Mornington trainer Clayton Douglas may be the one to have found the key to Sound Of Cannons.
The rising seven-year-old has won only four of his 39 starts of which three have been in Victoria, the two most recent being for his latest trainer.
Sound Of Cannons scored on debut at Newmarket in 2019 and was sent straight to Stakes grade in the UK before finding his way to Australian shores after seven more starts.
In the hands of John O'Shea, Sound Of Cannons had mixed form from his first Australian start in October 2020 until a breakthrough win at Sandown in May last year.
O'Shea then backed the stayer up to run in the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington three days later in a bid to qualify for the Melbourne Cup, but the gelding finished at the tail of the field.
After another seven starts, clients of Douglas' purchased Sound Of Cannons with a potential jumping career in mind.
But in four starts for Douglas, Sound Of Cannons has registered two flat wins – over 2000m and 2200m – and on Saturday will make his return to Flemington, 13 months after his last visit to the course.
Sound Of Cannons will run in the Quality Handicap (2540m) in which he will carry 54kg after lumping 60.5kg to victory in his most recent win at Sale.
"We're going to roll the dice," Douglas told RSN.
"He's going to plummet in weight, go out with a lightweight on his back stepping up to the 2500 metres.
"His form has been quite good since I got him. He's won a couple now and he just keeps on getting better, and I'm looking forward to seeing him on the big track over 2500 metres.
"He'll probably roll along up near the speed with the lightweight and hopefully make his own luck, so he could be a bit of a knock-out chance there on Saturday."
