Gold Coast filly Aimee has booked herself a Thousand Guineas campaign after a first up win in the $50,000 Boston Salon QTIS 3yo Handicap (1200m) at Doomben last Saturday.
Aimee, pink, will head to Melbourne for the Thousand Guineas after her first up win at Doomben. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Aimee showed that she had plenty of ability as a two year old during the Brisbane Winter Carnival and trainer Noel Doyle is keen to test her against the top three year old fillies in the land.
The Exceedingly Good filly was one of the eighty-four first acceptances for the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 11 which includes several two year old Group 1 winners from last season.
Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake, ATC Sires Produce winner Peggy Jean and Champagne Stakes winner Go Indy Go, as well as Golden Rose favourite Bring Me The Maid, headline the Thousand Guineas first acceptances but Doyle is keen to line up his smart filly against the high quality opposition.
“She’s nominated for the Thousand Guineas and Caulfield Classic,” Doyle told Racing Queensland News.
The Gold Coast trainer is yet to map out a final program for Aimee and has the option of heading straight to Melbourne or stop over in Sydney for a run on the way.
“I may take her to Sydney first to break up the trip unless we decide to fly her straight to Melbourne,” Doyle said.
“If she doesn’t run in Sydney then she’ll run in the Thousand Guineas Prelude next start.”
The Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield will be the final hit out for most of the fillies two weeks prior to the Thousand Guineas.
Aimee grabbed the attention of racegoers with a win in the Group 3 $125,000 Moreton Hire Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on May 3 at the start of the Winter Carnival.
That win prompted Doyle to run Aimee in the Group 2 $250,000 Mitavite BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 but after finishing down the track in thirteenth position, the filly was sent for a spell.
But she has returned in outstanding order with a strong first up win and is ready to show her worth against the top grade during the Spring Carnival.
Aimee isn’t amongst the fancied runners in the Thousand Guineas and is well down the market order with Ladbrokes.com.au at $51.
Go Indy Go heads the betting at $5 just ahead of the Peter Moody trained Bring Me The Maid at $6, last Saturday’s Group 2 Furious Stakes winner Winx at $8, Earthquake at $9 and Peggy Jean and Pickin’ Time both at $13.
