Filly from Bendigo Eyes Morphettville's Lightning Stakes
For a considerable period, Bendigo trainer Tim Fitzsimmons has been meticulously plotting a course towards one of the season's final Stakes races in Australia.
The Listed Lightning Stakes (1050m) at Morphettville is distinguished as one of only three races nationally that hold 'Black Type' status, alongside the Listed H G Bolton Sprint (1200m) at Belmont and the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
Fitzsimmons is making the journey to Morphettville with Yuuki, a filly who boasts two wins from her nine starts, for the set-weights contest exclusively for two and three-year-old gallopers.
Yuuki achieved her maiden victory at Swan Hill three starts back. She followed this with a win at Seymour before returning to Swan Hill, where she finished sixth on June 7 behind the strongly fancied Cruiserweight in her latest appearance.
A jump-out over 700m at Bendigo on July 14 saw Yuuki victorious, ensuring she is well-prepared for her upcoming Saturday run.
"She's going really well," Fitzsimmons confirmed.
"She didn't have much luck at her last start when she was four-wide with no cover at Swan Hill, but that has proven to be a pretty strong form race with Cruiserweight coming out and winning and her form was pretty hard to fault before that.
"She's always run into a good one. Point Barrow, then Celtics and Cruiserweight and even the horse she beat in her maiden, Scoobartie, has come out and won two convincingly.
"She's drawn wide, which is a pain, but we're hoping for a bit more rain as she loves it with a bit of sting out.
"We're chasing some 'Black Type' as the owner wants to breed with her eventually and this has been a long-range plan. We planned this race six months ago.
"Hopefully we can get a nice run from that gate, and it seems at Morphettville they do get away from the fence, so hopefully it's not the worst place to be."
The riding engagement for Yuuki, and Fitzsimmons's other stablemates Olatunde and Blazing Sword, has gone to Queenslander Kyle Wilson-Taylor.
Fitzsimmons elaborated on his decision to bring a dedicated rider across for his trio, with particular emphasis on Yuuki for the day's main event.
"We asked Michael Rodd who came to Albury for us earlier on, but he couldn't make it," Fitzsimmons explained.
"We used Kyle when I was in Singapore and he came up and rode Golden Monkey, so there's that connection.
"I like the way he rides, he's a patient rider, and he jumped at the opportunity, so it was good to lock someone in early and not have to worry about it."
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