The Valley to suit speedy filly Pride Of Sullivan
The Lindsay Park stable is expecting an early morning trip to Moonee Valley to be beneficial for three-year-old Pride Of Sullivan.
The daughter of Pride Of Dubai heads to The Valley on Saturday to contest the Quentin Wallace Handicap (1000m) after scoring a debut win at Swan Hill during the three-day Carnival in June.
Trainers Ben, Will and J D Hayes are targeting the early spring three-year-old races with the filly and took advantage of sending Pride Of Sullivan to The Valley on Tuesday morning on a dual-purpose mission – to get a look at the track and some added fitness ahead of Saturday’s contest.
“The whole purpose of the gallop at The Valley was to give her a bit of experience and a look at the track,” Ben Hayes said.
“And it was exactly what she did. She was by herself and looked a bit lost, but I think the experience will do her the world of good.
“She was freshened after her debut win and has only had the one jump-out leading into this race, so that gallop will blow a few cobwebs out and I’m expecting her to run quite well.
“And the way the track played at the last meeting and the way she races, it will most likely suit her, especially being race one.”
Hayes said Pride Of Sullivan was a speedy filly that may stretch out in distance in time.
He said if the filly performed well and handled The Valley, then the stable may consider stretching her to 1200m earlier than anticipated in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes on September 9.
“She’s a very good trial horse. She’s won her trials by very big margins, and that is what she is, very fast,” Hayes said.
“The 1000 metres will be perfect and at The Valley with the rail in the true position, she could be very hard to catch.
“Hopefully she will have all the others under pressure a long way from home, because that is her asset, she has a very high cruising speed.
“And if she goes well at The Valley, we might stretch her out to 1200 metres in that Atlantic Jewel Stakes, but she needs to win first.
“Otherwise, we could also keep her to shorter trips and maybe look at other Stakes races.”
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