Ole Dancer's participation in Sandown Stakes race hinges on track conditions

The decision on whether Ole Dancer will compete in a Stakes race at Sandown is contingent upon the weather and the prevailing track condition.

The mare, prepared by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, is entered for the Group 3 Carlyon Stakes, a 1000-metre sprint scheduled for Saturday.

Sandown is hosting this year's Carlyon Stakes, as Moonee Valley, its customary venue, is currently undergoing a redevelopment and is anticipated to be unavailable for racing for approximately another year.

Coleman reported that the stable is closely monitoring the weather and track conditions, which were rated as a Soft 6 as of Thursday.

"She's come back good," Coleman commented.

"She has had that one trial. We're looking at keeping her to shorter trips this time around, but we're also keeping a watch on the weather and track conditions, so whether she kicks off this weekend or we wait for the following week, I think she will be forward enough to run well wherever we go."

After her Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) triumph at Caulfield last spring, Coleman indicated that the daughter of Ole Kirk would be primarily focused on shorter races this campaign.

Coleman believes that maintaining the mare's freshness could lead to optimal results for the now four-year-old.

"We felt that she lost a bit of that spark in a couple of her runs when we tried to stretch her out, so we've decided to drop her back in trip, keep her fresh, and pinging," Coleman elaborated.

"That's how we're looking at the prep at this stage and whether we do end up getting her back out 1400 (metres), we'll be open minded."

Ole Dancer's last appearance was in March, when she finished near the back in the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.

This performance followed a second-place finish on February 14 at Flemington behind Sass Appeal, and a third in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

The mare showed she was in good form upon her return, defeating stablemate Sheza Alibi in an 800-metre jump-out on July 28.

Coleman stated that they would remain flexible regarding Ole Dancer's tactics on Saturday, acknowledging her ability to race either forward or back.

"We'll just ride her where she's comfortable," Coleman concluded.

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