Tulloch Lodge's Reachin' Out targets Group 2 in Percy Sykes Stakes

Among the nine entrants in the $1 million Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick, Reachin' Out stands out as the greenest, but potentially the one with the most room to grow.
Sired by the rising star Stay Inside, the filly made waves with a convincing four-length triumph on her first start at Kensington a month ago, capped by two promising trial performances beforehand.
Her trainers, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, confidently progressed her to Group 2 ranks without pause, a decision backed by punters who have installed the youngster at $3.60 favoritism for the 1200m Percy Sykes Stakes this Saturday.
"That was her debut performance, and she ran good times on the day, some good figures off the back of it," Bott said.
"She was excellent, and she looks like she has continued to improve.
"She is one of the fillies on the way up. The timing might be ideal for her for this race."
Lumbini represents the stable too, returning from a Queensland jaunt where she faltered in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m), only to rally with a near-miss second to Pembrey in the Magic Night Stakes (1200m).
The filly's team showed little fixation on entering the Golden Slipper, opting instead for this target, despite a tough barrier nine draw.
"She had a quick turnaround from the Gold Coast so she may have been in need of that first run, and she bounced back last start," Bott said.
"It was always in the plan to come through to this race and skip the Slipper. We weren't always trying to push her towards that, we thought she would be better placed here.
"She seems to be in good shape, and the form around her looks good."
Another Tulloch Lodge contender, Agrarian Girl who finished second in the Reisling Stakes, was eyed for the Percy Sykes after missing the Golden Slipper as a standby, though Bott indicated her prep had concluded with a spell.
"We didn't want to go one too many," he said.
"She had been up for a while and just started to come to the end of it. We will do the right thing by her, and give her a bit of time."
Godolphin filly Medicinal debuts in Sydney following two robust wins in Victoria, as the Percy Sykes Stakes heats up, with Satono Glow back at her local track after a Group 3 score at Flemington last time out.
Screen Icon hunts for a silver lining post Golden Slipper omission, and Rachini eyes improvement after fourth in the Group 1 Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) backup.
Discover the best online bookmakers offering markets for the Percy Sykes Stakes.
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