It was a good day at out at the Melbourne Racing Club, Caulfield, today. We didn’t secure a victory, but all three runners performed well and look set for a good Spring.
In race two, INSIDE AGENT debuted for owners who have shared Nigel’s patience since purchasing him in New Zealand in 2015. A striking colt by Stravinsky out of the well-performed and well-related Octapussy, Inside Agent has been displaying talent on the training track and in two jump outs in very good company.
With the foul weather and wet tracks this week, Inside Agent found himself making his race debut on a Saturday in town. He showed us he still has plenty to learn, missing the jump from the barriers by several lengths and tailing off early in the race. But he stormed home in the concluding stages to finish sixth. We can’t wait to get him to an easier grade in search for his maiden victory, and another learning experience. But Nigel thinks this colt will return to city company at least, sooner rather than later.
AMARELA tackled the BM90 race for mares, an easier assignment compared to previous first-up campaigns in Group company (where she performed admirably). It was unfortunate she found herself too far back in the field today, Damien Oliver reporting that it was a bit of a scrum out the back with a wall of horses on front of him.
The eventual winner Alaskan Rose was on her outside, and she put a couple of lengths on our mare at the top of the straight. But when Amarela found room, she finished off the race in pleasing fashion (22.98s for the last 400m) to also finish sixth, beaten just two lengths.
The story was a little different with our stakes-winner EXCLUSIVE LASS in the Group 3 How Now Stakes. With some easier options next week, Nigel and connections rolled the dice in today’s race in an attempt to at least score a Group-placing to her name – if not win it!
She had shown in two jump outs this preparation that she is perhaps in the best shape of her career. We were confident she would finish somewhere in the top 4 or so, and ultimately wrapped for owners to see her steam home into third place after travelling wide the entire trip. Nigel has a few other achievable stakes options for Exclusive Lass in coming weeks.
Thanks to the MRC for their great hospitality for owners.