Casterton hit out set to shape Flying Mascot’s spring

A jump-out at Casterton will determine whether Flying Mascot will have the addition of blinkers when she has her next race start at Flemington.

Trainer Tom Dabernig was disheartened with Flying Mascot’s first-up performance in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 8 and has called for a jump-out in headgear on Monday rather than starting the mare in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield that was won by Ingratiating on Saturday.

The Sir John Monash was Flying Mascot’s first outing since last October when the mare finished down the track in the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

“There is probably a little bit of a concern now are we going to get her back into form,” Dabernig said.

“The 1100 metres was always going to be too short, but I would have liked to have seen her run a bit better than she did.

“So, I’m going to trial her on Monday at Casterton in blinkers.”

Depending on how Flying Mascot performs in blinkers, Dabernig is proposing to run the mare in a benchmark 100 race over 1400m at Flemington on August 5.

Dabernig said Flying Mascot’s best form had been in that 1400m to 1600m range.

“Maybe the blinkers, if she trialled well in them, might bring her back into a bit of form and as an older mare now, being a Tavistock, she might also be looking for more ground,” Dabernig said.

“Her best form has been 1400 metres to a mile, so we’ve probably got to give her a 1400, a mile, and if she doesn’t do anything in those then maybe it’s time to be a broodmare.

“But it’s not the end yet, but we would need her to improve sharply at her next run.

“I got her in nice and early to purposefully have a couple of warm up runs to try and get her back and I must admit after her first-up run that we’ve got our work cut-out.

“But she looks well and she’s sound, so there’s no physical reason why she shouldn’t be running well.

“It’s just mentally whether we can get her back into that right frame of mind.”