2014 Caulfield Cup favourite Lucia Valentina galloped the reverse way of going on the Broadmeadow course proper this morning – and is off to Melbourne tomorrow night for the Turnbull Stakes.
Trainer Kris Lees gave the classy mare her final serious workout over 1400m for tomorrow week’s $502,500 Turnbull (2000m) at Flemington.
She was accompanied by the talented import Slow Pace, and the pair worked off from the winning post around to the 1400m.
“It was strong work,” Lees said afterwards. “Lucia Valentina is pretty fit and won’t need another decent gallop in Melbourne leading up to the Turnbull.
“I’ve got no qualms about her handling the Melbourne way of going; she has already raced that way in New Zealand.”
Lucia Valentina’s regular trackwork rider Mal Ollerton will accompany the mare to Melbourne.
As a precaution, Lees kept the New Zealand-owned mare in the $3m wfa Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25 when second acceptances were taken earlier this week.
“The Caulfield Cup is her target, but you have to keep your options open just in case circumstances change,” he said.
The $3m Caulfield Cup (2400m) will be run a week earlier than the Cox Plate, with tomorrow week’s Turnbull her final lead-up to the Group 1 feature.
Slow Pace, who ran extremely well first-up when sixth under 59kg topweight to Hooked in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) at Broadmeadow last Wednesday week, will start next at Randwick tomorrow week.
Lees will decide on Tuesday whether to run the gelding in the $500,000 Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) or Group 3 wfa Craven Plate (2000m).
Meanwhile, Lees is not oozing confidence he can repeat Sharnee Rose’s upset of hotpot Red Tracer last year with Fine Bubbles (Brenton Avdulla) and Gold Epona (Glyn Schofield) in tomorrow’s $300,000 Group 3 Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens.
The stablemates take on Red Tracer’s stablemate Catkins, who deservedly is a dominant favourite.
“Fine Bubbles is my best chance,” Lees said. “If she can reproduce the form she showed in winning the Tibbie Stakes at home last week, then she definitely has a place chance.
“But under the conditions of the race, Catkins is clearly the mare to beat.”
Lees has scratched first-up Randwick placegetter Pitt Street from the Benchmark 84 Handicap (1350m) and will rely on Soapy Star (Avdulla).
He scratched the mare from last week’s Group 3 Tibbie (1400m) because of a minor setback, but says she is ready to go back to the races.
“If she can have a bit of luck from an awkward draw, I feel she’s got a place chance at big odds,” he said.