Winx Guineas the right race for Stroll
Matthew Hoysted is doing his best to get Saturday’s Tattersall’s Tiara out of his head and the Eagle Farm trainer is pleased that he has feature racing to focus on this weekend.
This Saturday’s Winx Guineas does not boast the purse or status of last Saturday’s final Group 1 of the Australian season, in which Hoysted’s Chaillot was a luckless third, but the trainer thinks it is the right race for Stroll.
Hoysted, who trains in partnership with Steve O’Dea, thinks Saturday’s $300,000 Group 3 at the Sunshine Coast has come up at the perfect time for daughter of Snitzel, who will be having her first start at 1600 metres.
“We’re still learning about her and what is her pet distance really, but she’s always given us the feel that in time she’d be a miler,” Hoysted said.
“This will be her first test there, so we’ll learn a bit more about her. There’s still improvement in her physically, but that’s probably her grade – around that Group 3 level – at this time in her career.”
The Proven Thoroughbreds-raced Stroll, who has had 10 starts for three wins and three minor placings, hits the Winx Guineas third-up off a sixth placing in the Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm before a fourth placing over 1350m in the Cooney Stakes at Ipswich.
Hoysted said one big plus for her this weekend is the return to a spacious track with a long straight.
“She looked to have the run of the race the other day there at Ipswich but they obviously run along at a good tempo and set it up for the backmarkers and she’s not really sharp, she’s gets all her quickening through lengthening,” Hoysted said.
“It was probably that Ipswich took away from her that chance, so getting back to the big track will help.
“I think she’s looking for the mile now, too, so on a big track and at a mile, you will see her finish off better than last time.”
The Winx Guineas is not the only $300,000 feature at the Sunshine Coast that the Hoysted/Dea camp will be represented in with last-start The Archer fourth placegetter Namazu and former Kiwi mare Fleewood Maca to run in the Listed Glasshouse Stakes (1400m).
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