Amelia’s Jewel ready to sparkle in G1 Toorak Handicap
Star mare was given a trip across town from her Flemington base for a look at Caulfield ahead of the Toorak Handicap.
Saturday’s Group 1 handicap over 1600m is the race that will determine whether Amelia’s Jewel stays in Melbourne to run in the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 28 or heads to the Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill the following week.
“My head’s Golden Eagle my heart’s Cox Plate,” trainer Simon Miller said.
“The Golden Eagle is her age group, it’s $10 million, set weights and it’s in her wheelhouse as a distance.
“She has to go to 2040 metres, 200 metres further than she’s been for the Cox Plate, so ‘Frosty’ (jockey Damian Lane) will help us.
“She was strong at 1800 metres in the Northerly (last December), so that gives me confidence.”
Beaten just twice in her 11-start career, Amelia’s Jewel will be having her third Melbourne start in the Toorak Handicap.
After coming from back in the field to win first-up at Flemington, Amelia’s Jewel broke the track record to win the Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 29.
Lane had Amelia’s Jewel positioned in second place in the run that night which Miller conceded was the difference between winning and losing.
“She probably gets rolled if we go back and she may have had a harder run because she would have been chasing from a long way out,” Miller said.
Miller allowed Amelia’s Jewel time to recover from the win and only last Saturday decided it was time to again build the work.
“Siobhan (O’Donnell, strapper) rang on Friday and said we need to wind her up again because we might be in a bit of trouble,” Miller said.
“I gave her a nice piece of work on Saturday which took the edge off her and today was just perfect.
“She’s so easy to peak. Whatever you want to set her for, you can.
“We know how to read her now. We’ve got a really good handle on her.
“If everything pans out and we get a fair crack at them, we should be there.”
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