Corey Brown confident Rain Affair will get 1400m

By Mathew Toogood

SYDNEY, Feb 23 AAP - Exciting sprinter Rain Affair went up a notch in Corey Brown's estimation last start and the jockey is looking for something similar on Saturday.

Rain Affair produced an explosive Expressway Stakes performance two weeks ago to gap his rivals by four lengths to claim his ninth win from just 10 starts and his eighth on the trot.

The four-year-old steps into uncharted territory in Saturday's Group Two Apollo Stakes at Rosehill at his first attempt at 1400m but Brown took plenty of positives out of the Expressway showing.

"I always said, not that he wouldn't make a top-class horse but he just does little things wrong and good horses don't do those things wrong," Brown said.

"But last time out he did everything 100 per cent and it was a really good sign.

"Even going to the barriers for the Expressway he was really relaxed. Going into the barriers he went straight in whereas he usually rears up. Just silly little things, nothing major but those silly little things add up.

"He showed no sign of any of those things last start so I was really happy with him."

Rain Affair was installed a raging $1.40 favourite for the Apollo on TAB Sportsbet with Group One winner Shoot Out the only other runner under double-figure odds at $8.

Brown admits going to 1400m for the first time is "a little concern" but not if the gelding brings the same attitude as he did in the Expressway.

"Obviously it is a little concern because he does go quite hard, but if he relaxes like he did last start at Rosehill I've got no doubt he'll get it," Brown said.

Brown even believes Rain Affair is likely to lead the Apollo field in transit by even further than he did when bowling along in the Expressway, and has little concerns about jumping from barrier 12 in the field of 13.

"I always try to keep him off the fence because the closer he gets to the fence the more he wants to race," Brown said.

"Not that you want to keep him 10-wide or anything, but the longer you leave him off the fence a bit and try to glide towards it coming to about the 600 metres then he just knows it's time to start picking up and getting himself into it.

"He's just got to turn up with his A-game like he did the other day and he'll be very, very competitive."

Rain Affair was also nominated for Saturday's Group One Futurity Stakes in Melbourne but with the prospect of a rain-affected surface at Rosehill trainer Joe Pride elected to keep him in Sydney.

The sprinter could be given his first Group One chance in the Newmarket Handicap in Melbourne after running in the Apollo.

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