Ethereal Stakes run to shape Too Darn Discreet’s Spring campaign

It may not be the most important race of the spring for Too Darn Discreet, but the Ethereal Stakes may be a race that shapes the future of her campaign.

A last start winner of the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on October 5, Too Darn Discreet steps up to the 2000m of Saturday’s Group 3 Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield.

Trainer Dan O’Sullivan said he had not planned anything past Saturday’s race, but added there was options for the filly depending on her performance.

O’Sullivan said Too Darn Discreet looks ideally suited by the 2000m journey on Saturday which in turn could lead the filly to the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 2 and potentially onto the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington five days later.

But there was also the possibility of freshening the filly for a tilt at the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on November 16.

“It’d be nice to keep going to the Oaks, but I’ve got to let her tell me,” O’Sullivan said.

“She’s a young filly, so I’ll just let her tell me whether it’s right to softball or keep going.

“I’m very confident of her running 2000 metres, but you never know until they try it, but she handles everything we’ve put her up to so far.

“She’s had a 1400-metre trial, a 1500-metre race and then the 1600-metre race last time, and she was strong through the line there.”

The dam of Too Darn Discreet, Maybe Discreet, won the Edward Manifold Stakes before going on to 11th in the Thousand Guineas which was run earlier in the spring back in 2012.

The following autumn, Maybe Discreet returned to win the Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville.

Last year Zardozi, one of the fancies for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday, won the Edward Manifold before progressing to win the VRC Oaks.

“Let’s get through Saturday and see how she goes,” O’Sullivan said.

“If something made me think, ‘OK she needs a little freshen up,’ we can back off and look at the Thousand Guineas, or we could even pull up stumps and look to the autumn.

“There are plenty of possibilities after Saturday.”