HORSE RACING
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Carl Poidevin reckons he's never seen a more placid colt.
Poidevin has phone in one hand to conduct this interview and lead in the other as Eyre Square has a pick of grass 24 hours before his Everest-like Rosehill Guineas (2000m) assignment, in which bookmakers have virtually offered any of his supporters to write their own ticket.
"He's really placid for a colt," said Poidevin, who trains the Kembla Grange three-year-old in tandem with his wife Diane.
"He's got no malice in him at all and he's beautiful."
Which makes the events of the last few months even harder to believe. Rewind to Australia Day and another Kembla trainer, Erwin Takacs, was trying to swim Eyre Square, who was then under his care.
The horse lashed out at his trainer and then dragged him for a distance along the ground while Takacs was unconscious.
Poidevin found the horse and later Takacs, who still remains in a critical condition in hospital two months on. In a twist of fate, the Poidevins were asked to look after Eyre Square later on.
It's why there will be more than a little emotion in the mounting yard if Eyre Square can produce the unthinkable at Rosehill on Saturday.
"Erwin did a lot of work with him and it will be good for all of us," Poidevin said.
And then the form pundits will tell you to look at the facts.
Eyre Square is the least experienced horse in the field, having just his fourth start against the best three-year-olds in Australasia.
He ran fourth in a low-key Kembla Class 2 Handicap just last Sunday.
"I know it's a massive class rise, but the owners want to go forward with him," Poidevin said.
"His bloods were pretty good this week and we don't train a lot like other people. We go to the beach and kind of break things up for them.
"I know it's a really, really strong field, but as long as he runs a nice race and gets around safely [we'll be happy]."
Eyre Square was listed a $201 chance for the Rosehill Guineas on Friday night.