Jockey Glen Boss believes that talented mare A Time For Julia has an excellent chance of recording her maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2014 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on Sunday.
A Time For Julia has the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2014 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield on Sunday. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
A Time For Julia has been a consistent performer at Group level over the past 12 months, taking out the Group 3 Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) and Group 3 Roy Higgins Tribute (1200m), and a Group 1 victory is the only thing missing from her racing resume.
The Redoute’s Choice mare has previously performed well at the highest level of racing in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) and Group 1 Robert Sangster Classic (1600m) and Boss told Racing Ahead hat he is confident the five-year-old will be very difficult to beat in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes this weekend.
“She is a really solid mare and with the structure of the race on her rating she is probably well off against a lot of these with 52 being a mare,” Boss said.
“She is going to be very hard to beat and she definitely gets her opportunity to win her first Group 1.
“For a very well-bred mare this would be very, very important for her connections.
“If she can win this race she would be worth a lot of money being out of Procrastinate.”
A Time For Julia has been ridden forward in her two race starts during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival to date and was narrowly denied by Gregers in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 30 and the Group 3 How Now Stakes (1200m) at the same venue on September 20.
Boss said that he believes A Time For Julia is a better horse when she is ridden with cover and he is hoping that the Peter Moody-trained galloper will get the run of the race when she jumps from barrier one on Sunday.
“It is imperative that she gets a good draw this mare,” Boss said.
“No fault of Luke’s, but she has just been a bit exposed in her first two runs and she is not that type of horse.
“I think that she is more a horse that likes to stalk and get over the top of another one.
“It just means that she likes to be one pair back further that what she has been and she gets the opportunity on Sunday with the likelihood of a really nice speed with Sweet Idea going forward and a couple of others.
“Hopefully she gets the run of the race and she produces at the right time and she will sprint quickly.”
A Time For Julia is currently available at 2014 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes odds of $9, while Sweet Idea ($7) and Dissident ($7) are still locked in a battle for favouritism.
