Australasian Oaks campaign starts at Flemington

Trainer Dan O’Sullivan is setting his sights on Group 1 glory in Adelaide as his promising filly, Too Darn Discreet, begins her campaign at Flemington.

Her ultimate target is the prestigious Australasian Oaks (2000m), scheduled for late April at Morphettville. She kicks off her autumn preparation this Saturday in the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m).

The daughter of Maybe Discreet, who herself captured the Australasian Oaks title in 2013, carries high expectations.

“Her goal is the Australasian Oaks in South Australia as that is where all her owners are,” O’Sullivan said.

“She’ll kick off on Saturday, possibly go to the Kewney after that and then we’ll pick out something between that and the Oaks.

“I’d like to keep her here for as long as possible and go over just the once.”

Last campaign, Too Darn Discreet thrived as she stepped up in distance. She claimed victory in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington before adding the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield to her record.

Her spring campaign concluded with a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.

O’Sullivan noted that the filly maintained a significant level of fitness during her brief break from racing.

She signaled her readiness for a return with a solid second-place finish in a recent Geelong trial, where she was edged out by New Zealand Group 1 winner Here To Shock.

“She’s quite an athletic filly and she retained her fitness, but she laid in again in the trial, which is a little bit of a habit she’s got, so we’ll keep working on that,” O’Sullivan said.

To help address her tendency to shift under pressure, O’Sullivan has decided to equip Too Darn Discreet with a lugging bit for her race on Saturday.

“We still haven’t gone blinkers, or one-eyed blinker, but the problem is she doesn’t do it at home, it’s only on race day that she does it,” O’Sullivan explained.

“You think you’ve got it right but then she comes out and does it under pressure.

“A few good horses do it. Northerly did, Pinstriped does, so it’s something we’ll keep working on.”