Angelic Light is set to return to the races in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday and trainer Robbie Griffiths believes that the injury-plagued mare will take plenty of benefit from her first-up run.
Angelic Light will be returning to the races for the first time since she finished second in the 2013 Robert Sangster Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Angelic Light has not been seen at the races since she finished second behind Platelet in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Classic (1200m) at Morphettville on April 27 due to a bowed tendon, but she has impressed Griffiths with her trackwork and her performance in a barrier trial over 800 metres at Cranbourne on August 4.
“She is in good order and she has had a couple of trials this preparation as she heads to Moonee Valley to return to racing this Saturday,” Griffiths told RSN this morning.
“She sprained a tendon last spring, so we missed the year there.
“It was bad timing because we were all dressed up ready to return to the races when it happened, so we have been on the sidelines for a long time.
“She looks bit burly still, so she will take good improvement away from Saturday.
“It is a nice race for her to step-out in and I’m sure that she will be quiet happy to return to the track.
“She is quite excited in her trackwork at the moment and she is a bit fresh.”
Griffiths has always had a high opinion of Angelic Light, but he revealed this morning that he will wait until he sees how the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor performs in the Carlyon Stakes before he decides on the major 2014 Spring Racing Carnival target for the five-year-old.
The Cranbourne-based trainer said that he would like to see Angelic Light run in races like the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 24 or the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 8, but admits that she may not be good enough to compete at that level.
“It depends on her race form at the time,” Griffiths said.
“Seeing her run on Saturday is important for us to assess where she is at and how far off her peak she is.
“Naturally like any spring you want to target the better sprints, but she left racing finishing second in a mares Group 1 behind Platelet and whether that form is strong enough for some of the Group 1 sprints.
“We have to let her races decide which path we take; whether it is a Listed, Group 3, Group 2 or her form suggests we can be more ambitious than that.”
Angelic Light has recorded four race wins from her eleven race starts and has accumulated over $250,000 in prizemoney for connections.
