Top Queensland trainer Tony Gollan was not ruling out anything, including the $20 million Everest, for flying filly Pembrey after she dominated the group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) under a hands-and-heels ride on Saturday at Randwick.
The Magic Night Stakes winner, which then finished 14th in the Golden Slipper from a horror draw, returned in the opening leg of the Princess Series for three-year-old fillies and was never threatened, running 1:08.74 on a soft 5 surface.
James McDonald took her to the lead from gate nine and she kicked clear at the top of the straight, beating Bangkok Hottie by 2½ lengths as McDonald eased her down before the finishing line.
Gollan was looking to the next legs of the Princess Series – the Furious (1200m), Tea Rose and Flight Stakes (1600m) – and said he hadn’t thought about striving for a slot in the 1200m Everest on October 17 with the Kia Ora-owned talent. Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising is a $1.50 favourite to win the Everest again. No runners have been confirmed for the race.
“I’ll think about anything with her, but look, I’ll just let the dust settle on this,” Gollan said of the Everest.
“My plan has been the Princess Series. I’ve been really keen to get her to 1400, but anything is an option.
“Would I want a three-year-old filly to take on the good horse from Hong Kong? Probably not, but the Kia Ora team, they’ll have their opinion on everything as well.
“I knew she had improved a lot. I just wanted to see it on race day.”
Seven-year-old mare Midnight In Tokyo made it a feature, front-running double for Queensland trainers in the next, holding out Soothsayer in the group 3 Show County Quality (1200m).
Rookie trainer Todd Pollard, a former Brisbane foreman for Annabel Archibald who started his own stable in February, said the group 2 Sheraco Stakes on September 12 at Rosehill could be a next target for Midnight In Tokyo.
Prima Bella hits new heights
Matt Smith thanked the owners of six-year-old Prima Bella for their patience after the mare fought back late to win the group 3 Toy Show Quality in her first black-type start.
The Warwick Farm trainer feared Prima Bella, coming off 1000m benchmark 78 and 88 wins, would be overhauled late in the 1100m race against group 1 performers, but she was the strongest at the finish, beating Stardom by a long head after the Tulloch Lodge mare had hit the lead inside the last 200m. Resuming group 1-winning favourite Apocalyptic came from well back to finish third.
Kerrin McEvoy raced Prima Bella outside leader Gatwick and her superior fitness proved telling. Smith was now looking for more stakes targets for Prima Bella, who had overcome setbacks, including a year off with bone chips.
“They’ve been very patient,” Smith said of the owners.
“We had a few preps there where things weren’t going that great and they could have easily pulled the pin, but I’m glad they stuck with her.
“I think when horses get really fit, they can maybe do things they can’t do early in their preparations. You just have to make it run so that the better horses were vulnerable with the weight, and Kerrin rode it beautifully.”
Maher camp look to Metropolitan
King Of The Sea surged in betting for the group 1 Metropolitan (2400m) and a stablemate emerged as a possible runner after trainer Ciaron Maher scored a winning double at Randwick.
Starting his second preparation in Australia, King Of The Sea cruised to a 1¾-lengths win in the 1600m benchmark 78. Assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said the Metropolitan and Caulfield Cup were among potential targets for the five-year-old, which was slashed from $15 to $8 (TAB) for the Metropolitan.
A race earlier, stablemate Foire De Trone opened the door to a potential Metropolitan run with a gritty 2400m benchmark 74 win over favourite Le Troisir.
“We’ve been spacing her runs, and obviously it’s a long way to a Metrop, but we’ll see how she comes through it,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“She’s still very wintry, she’s just starting to lose her coat, so you think there’s still a bit more to come, but she’s had a few hard runs on very heavy tracks.”
The win followed news Maher had secured UK prospect Amazing Journey, which will target the $10 million Golden Eagle on October 31 at Randwick.
Boniface set for more Randwick tests
The Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr yard was eyeing the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) and $2 million Hill Stakes (1900m) for Boniface after he broke through in Australia in the Premier’s Cup (2000m).
A three-time winner in France, the import was luckless last start but was strong late after racing outside the lead in the group 3 on Saturday, beating So You Are by a half-length at his fifth start for the stable.
Assistant trainer Ben Elam said the Kingston Town and Hill Stakes at Randwick were “a nice program in his own backyard”.
“He came over as an entire, now he’s a gelding, and we’ve seen a much better horse this time around,” Elam said.
“We’ve seen that on race day as well, being able to relax outside lead without a horse in front of him.”
Thompson galloper proves toughness
Randwick trainer John Thompson will step Clear Proof up in grade, and possibly further, after he overcame a slow start to score back-to-back city wins.
Carrying 60kg topweight, Clear Proof ($3.60 favourite) was last out of the gates in the 1200m benchmark 72 Midway Handicap before jockey Dylan Gibbons pushed him forward early to sit three wide. Coming off a Canterbury 1250m benchmark 72 win, the five-year-old was then tough late to hold out Isawyou by a half-neck.
“He’s going well, but he’s got to be up on pace,” Thompson said.
“If he gets back in the field, he just loses concentration. The plan was to lead.
“He will run 1400 because I think when he gets in front and is able to dictate, he’s got a high cruising speed, so he runs them into the ground.”
In the Highway Handicap, Mrs Goldberg won the 1100m class 2 first-up to give trainer Matt Dunn a 48th victory in the country-only Saturday races.