Little Luana Miss set to tackle the heavyweights
Paul Symes
ANZ News
She may be the small filly taking on some seasoned sprinters, but local trainer Trevor Andrews insists Luana Miss (Bivouac) is well capable of punching above her light weight as he gets set to unleash his stable star on Saturday’s Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
The experienced Ascot horseman has celebrated eight Group 1 wins since taking out his training licence more than three decades ago, but the lightly framed Luana Miss has the potential to eclipse the likes of Modem (Bletchley Park) – who in 2004 achieved the Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Kingston Town Classic (Gr 1, 1800m) double – if she can continue on her current trajectory.
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Andrews is firm in his belief that his $110,000 purchase won’t be out of her depth or overawed by the occasion as she prepares to face off against the state’s premier sprinter Jokers Grin (Maschino) and a whole host of eastern raiders, headed by Bjorn Baker’s dual Winterbottom Stakes hero Overpass (Vancouver).
That dynamic duo are understandably vying for race favouritism, given that they have compiled 19 wins between them. However, off the back of two blistering victories this prep – most recently in the Placid Ark Stakes (Listed, 1200m) – and with just 51.5 kilograms on her slender back on Saturday, Luana Miss is certainly no forlorn hope as she bids to become the first filly to win the Winterbottom in half a century.
“She’s not an overly big filly, but she’s got a huge motor,” Andrews told ANZ News. “I have horses in the stable that are nearly twice as big as she is, but they’ve only got half her acceleration.
“She had her final piece of work on the turf track at Ascot on Tuesday morning, she came through that really well and was as bright as a button this morning so we couldn’t be happier with her build-up.
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“It was a fairly easy decision to run her in the race, because she hasn’t given us any reason not to. Her last run was super when she managed to get herself out of trouble with an amazing turn of foot.
“She came through it really well, so I couldn’t find any negatives with her. It’s obviously a big ask but she couldn’t be in any better form, she’ll head for a spell whatever happens on Saturday so hopefully she can sign off with another big performance.”
Perhaps the only setback came on Tuesday morning, when Luana Miss was assigned the outside gate in an initial field of 11 which was subsequently reduced to just nine when both Man Crush (Manhattan Rain) and Spacewalk (Exosphere) were scratched on Wednesday.
But if anything Andrews viewed the withdrawal of Man Crush as more of a hindrance than the wide alley, given that it deprived the race of one of its early pacemakers.
“She had her final piece of work on the turf track at Ascot on Tuesday morning, she came through that really well and was as bright as a button this morning so we couldn’t be happier with her build-up
His concern now is that Overpass may get an uncontested lead and prove too hard to chase down, as has been the case in the previous two editions of the $1.5 million contest.
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However, provided Luana Miss is within striking distance of the leading pack he fully expects the filly to scorch home under Shaun O’Donnell, the in-form rider who was aboard Jokers Grin for his last-start victory in the Colonel Reeves Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).
“I wasn’t bothered at all by the barrier draw to be honest, because I would’ve preferred the outside gate to the inside,” said Andrews, who also saddles up impressive last-start winner Ninetymilestraight (Flying Artie) in the Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (Listed, 1400m) on Saturday.
“She tends to sit off the pace in her runs anyway, so if Shaun can sit three-deep with a bit of cover I’ll be happy with that. It was disappointing that some of the speed came out of the race when Man Crush was taken out, because that would have suited us and also put a bit of pressure on Overpass. But we can’t do anything about that and I’m sure there will be speed on as there always is in any Group 1 sprint race, so Overpass certainly won’t get things all his own way.
“Our filly has to carry seven kilos less than him, so even though he’s a very good horse with a great record over here, that obviously gives us a bit of an advantage. You don’t get too many opportunities to run an in-form filly in a Group 1 race, she’s earned her way in with some impressive performances so we’re more than happy to take our chance.
“If we could get a Group 1 placing on her CV that will make her a valuable filly, and with even luck I’m confident she can run in the top three. If she were to do that then we’d give serious thought to bringing her over to the east in the autumn, because there are plenty of suitable options for her and I do think she’ll be an even better horse next prep with a bit more maturity. But we’ll get through Saturday’s race before making any future plans.”
Andrews had enjoyed previous success with the family, having trained Gangbuster (Blackfriars) – whose dam Oopsy Doopsy (General Nediym) was a half-sister to Luana Miss’s mum Little Bit Ditsy (Bel Esprit) – to victory in the 2017 Lex Piper Stakes (Listed, 1600m).
He was therefore always going to pay close attention to Lot 102 at last year’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, and his admiration for Darley’s emerging stallion made him doubly determined to leave the complex with the one and only Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) yearling up for auction.
“I really like the Bivouacs, she was from his first crop so even though they’re going very well now they were a bit of an unknown at the time, but I was happy enough to take a bit of a chance on the filly because she was such a lovely type,” Andrews told ANZ News.
“She was beautifully balanced and athletic, which is what a good horse should look like. Sometimes you see big yearlings at the sales who look imposing, but ultimately you’re there to buy a racehorse so you need them to be able to run fast and she certainly looked like a fast horse to my eye.
“She also had a good temperament, although there’s not much middle ground with her – she’s either really switched off or really switched on. But overall she’s a pleasure to deal with, and she’s giving her group of 20 owners a lot of fun.”
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The same owners also raced dual stakes winner All The King’s Men (King’s Troop) and last year’s WATC Derby (Gr 2, 2400m) hero A Lot Of Good Men (A Lot), who cost a combined $87,500 at the sales and earned just shy of $1.35 million on the track.
Andrews has therefore proved he has an eye for a shrewd purchase, and he hopes to unwrap another bargain buy soon having partnered up with prominent owner Peter Morley of Belhus Racing to pay $50,000 for a Bivouac colt at this year’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
The colt, who has been named Plumm In Luck, certainly comes from a good family with his half-sister Lekvarte (Reliable Man) having claimed multiple stakes races for Joe Pride before she was acquired by Coolmore for $750,000 at this year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
“He’s due to come back into the stables next week,” Andrews told ANZ News.
“He’s showing a bit of promise so hopefully we can get him to the races soon. We’ve only got 25 in work, so we tend to focus on quality over quantity.
“Workers’ compensation is a big issue here and outside the carnival we’re not racing for huge prize-money, so training horses for a living can be a very expensive exercise. But when you’ve got a horse like Luana Miss in the stables, it certainly gives you plenty of hope and makes it easier to get out of bed in the mornings.”
