Star fillies face off in thrilling renewal of Gold Edition Plate
Magic Millions Guineas hopefuls Isotope and Away Game head strong field at Doomben
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are hoping star juvenile filly Away Game (Snitzel) can defy a 33-week absence to defeat the Tony Gollan-trained odds-on shot Isotope (Deep Field) on her first three-year-old start, in what shapes as an enthralling renewal of the Gold Edition Plate (Listed, 1200m) at Doomben today.
Away Game, the second stakes winner out of winning mare Elusive Wonder (Elusive Quality), burst onto the scene at this track 12 months ago when impressively taking out the Calaway Gal Stakes (Listed, 1110m), before proving she was the real deal by romping home in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at odds of 40-1.
Later successes in the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and Percy Sykes Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) reinforced her top-class status, but she has not raced competitively since finishing fifth in the Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Morphettville in May.
She was being primed by her trainers for a return in the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at Moonee Valley in September, before suffering a setback which kept her off the track until a trial at Rosehill on November 30.
“I was always going to give her a light spring but she just came up with an elevated temperature before the Moir, so we backed off her and let her tick over,” Maher said.
“She’s back in Queensland where she loves it.”
Maher is relishing taking on his good friend Gollan in the Gold Edition, with his filly Isotope looking a worthy favourite after a three-length success in the Mode Plate (Listed, 1200m) at Doomben a fortnight ago.
Isotope, the first foal out of three-time winner Great Dansaar (Choisir), finished second in last year’s Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) and brings a high-level of form to the race, with bookies making her a general $1.80 chance last night.
“He’s a good mate of mine, Tony, and a good bloke so it’ll be a bit of healthy competition and hopefully we can come out on top,” Maher said.
Maher has no concerns over the prospect of a wet track, with the ground listed as a Soft 7 yesterday night.
He is confident Away Game, a $425,000 purchase by Kerri Radcliffe Bloodstock from the Mill Park Stud draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, will cope with the testing conditions.
“She’s got good form in the wet,” he said. “She’s a neat, long, speedy filly that is probably built for the Gold Coast, but she’s built for any track really.
“I know the weather has been pretty damp up there in the past week.
“Put it this way, I wouldn’t swap her for anything else in the race.”
The contest should provide some telling clues for next month’s $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m), for which Isotope is the early $5 favourite. Away Game is second favourite at $8, along with the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Forbidden Love (All Too Hard), who has not been seen since placing in the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington in October.
However, while Isotope and Away Game bring the best form to the race on paper, there will no doubt be plenty of contenders snatching at their heels and an upset could be on the cards, especially given the forecast wet conditions.
Hoping to mount a stern challenge to the market leaders is the Mick Price and Micheal Kent Jnr-trained Our Playboy (Sebring), who his handlers expect to relish the conditions.
A $210,000 purchase from the Widden Stud draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Our Playboy is the second foal out of Mischief Night (Shamardal) and brings solid form to the table following his Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) win at Caulfield in August.
Kent Jnr has waxed lyrical about the colt in advance of this contest and is expecting a big run.
“Of all the horses we’ve got in the stable, he’s thriving and is licking the bin clean,” Kent Jnr told Racing.com.
“His work has been super and I expect him to run a very good race. He goes better with some sting out of the ground.
“He had a couple of gallops the reverse way back home and he’s done well since he arrived up there about ten days ago.”
Our Playboy has drawn barrier 15 and is a $16 chance for the Listed contest, but Kent Jnr does not anticipate the seemingly-tricky draw posing much of a problem.
“From his wide barrier you’d normally be worried but in the wet he should be OK,” he added.
Another of the market outsiders, Safework (Spirit Of Boom), is also expected to relish the conditions, despite finishing unplaced on his sole heavy-ground appearance at Doomben in July.
Safework returned after a two-month break to finish an eye-catching second to Shooting For Gold (Shooting To Win) in the Winning Rupert Plate (1200m) at Doomben on December 5.
Out of Ossie’s Secret (Red Dazzler), who has produced soft-ground winners from two of her other three foals to race, Safework’s only win from 12 starts came at Doomben on a Good 4 surface over 1350 metres in July.
His Gold Coast-based trainer Scott Morrisey puts that record down to the high-quality company he has been racing in and expects a big run from the gelding, who is looking to bolster his Magic Millions 3YO Guineas chances.
“He’s been racing in top company all his career and should have won a few more times,” Morrisey told Racing.com.
“He’s had a lot of hard-luck stories and I’m hoping he can win even though he’s against horses like Isotope and Away Game.
“His dam line suggests he’ll handle it and he’s by Spirit Of Boom, so who knows, he could be a swimmer.
“He failed at his only run on a heavy track but he was first-up on a bottomless track that day and the races were cancelled a few races later.
“His fitness gave out on him, but Jim Byrne was very happy with the run and said the horse wanted to win but his run just finished a bit too soon.”
The Gold Edition Plate is the eighth contest on a nine-race Doomben card and the runners will go to post at 4:52pm local time.