Pukekohe performance to determine Adam I Am’s programme

Adam I Am made quite the impression with his two eye-catching wins over spring and trainer Glenn Old said he has returned a more furnished animal ahead of summer racing.

The four-year-old gelding broke through for his maiden win in emphatic style at Matamata in May when winning by five-lengths, and doubled his win tally a month later at Hastings.

He has since had a freshen-up and Old is looking forward to tackling the big prizemoney on offer this summer with the son of Almanzor.

“He had a bit of a break after Hastings and he has matured up yet again, he looks great,” Old said.

“He is going to be a really big horse. He is bordering 16.3 (hands) now and has put on 20kg since Hastings.”

Old, who purchased Adam I Am as a yearling at Karaka for $100,000, has taken a patient approach with the gelding, and he is hoping to reap those rewards in the coming months.

“We are going a bit like the old ways, letting him mature up before we put the pressure on,” he said.

Adam I Am will have his first summer outing in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Qualifier (1200m) at Pukekohe on Saturday, with his summer program hinging on the result.

“He is in good order. He is a naturally fit horse and doesn’t take a lot. We will just take it one race at a time and analyse each race,” Old said.

“The only concern (about the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final) would be the back-up of 16 days, but he needs to do things really well on Saturday to do that.

“There is a lot of money around this summer. There are a couple of those $350,000 races deep in the summer we can look at.”

The $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie January 27 is another big carrot Old is contemplating, but he said he may bypass the rich feature in favour of some softer targets a month later.

“I have kept an open mind about that (Aotearoa Classic). If Legarto and Prowess go there, I think I will avoid them. There is no rush at this stage,” he said.