15-07-2025
Liam Howley aiming stayer Virtuous Circle at Saturday's Deane Lester Flemington Cup
A trainer knowing they have a horse in prime condition and winning races are two separate things.
Just ask Macedon Lodge trainer Liam Howley.
Howley has talented stayer Virtuous Circle perfectly ticking over but the gelding is yet to place in six 2025 outings.
Ability isn't the issue as Virtuous Circle was less than a length from a Group 1 win when second in the 2023 Australian Derby in Sydney.
Firm tracks and race tempos have been against the backmarker for most runs this time in, especially in the five-year-old's last two outings in which he has finished fourth in Flemington staying contests.
'He ran really well two starts ago and they just walked last start and it made it impossible to make ground from where he settles,' Howley said.
'He can't work any better and all the data suggest he's back to his best.
'He's better when he can get his toes into it but it's also tempo related now.'
Howley conceded he erred at the start of Virtuous Circle's preparation, which began with an eye on rich Sydney autumn carnival staying features.
He said changing plans meant the son of Almanzor needed to regain fitness before his last two promising runs.
'We wanted to protect him from rock-hard tracks through the autumn,' Howley said.
'Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I probably shouldn't have brought him up as early.
'We were hoping for a wet Sydney autumn and we just landed on the wrong leg.
'We had him up and going and he had to go eight weeks between runs.
'He always goes better when he can consistently race every two to three weeks.
'He's finally got some continuity.'
While Virtuous Circle is at peak fitness for Saturday's Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 (2800m), Howley would like plenty of opposition for his charge in the $150,000 race.
Howley said a big field was likely to produce the tempo Virtuous Circle needed for his first win since June last year, even if he found himself on good ground.
'In the last 12 to 18 months, some of his better runs have been on Good 4s but they have been solidly run races, when he can build momentum.
'There's a lot of noms so hopefully it will be a big field.
'We're just hoping we get a big field where they roll along and he can build momentum.'
