Lindsay Park chief David Hayes expects Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy to be back to her best when she lines up in the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Catchy, above, will be back to her best for the Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Catchy, above, will be back to her best for the Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Catchy proved to be the star two year old in Melbourne during the 2017 Autumn Carnival with her win in the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield and Hayes is looking forward to seeing her back at her top against the three year olds.

The Fastnet Rock filly has had one run back from a spell for a first up second to Crown Witness in the Group 3 $150,000 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 19 and Hayes said that she has gone ahead with that run under her belt.

“I think she is right back to where she was at the end of her two year old career,” Hayes said.

“She just got beaten first up, she looks like she has improved, had a month in between runs. She trialled well up the straight, high class filly.”

Catchy returned back from Lindsay Park at Euroa to Flemington on Monday and Melbourne foreman Gary Hennessy can also see plenty of improvement in her since her first up run and can see her taking more benefit from her run in the Danehill Stakes.

“She is a big sort of filly and her coat still has to come out yet, still a bit wintery looking but she is improving so seeing that she went so close first up she will be harder to beat this time,” Hennessy said.

Catchy is a first acceptor in both the Group 1 $2m Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m), both run at Caulfield on October 14, and Saturday’s run in the Danehill Stakes will go a long way to helping the Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig deciding if she takes on the colts and gelding or sticks to her own sex against the fillies.

Regan Bayliss takes over from Craig Williams on Catchy who has drawn barrier eight while her stablemate Plutocracy will jump from barrier ten with Beau Mertens in the saddle.

Williams has been on board Catchy for all her six starts to date but had taken the ride on the Ciaron Maher trained Jukebox before it was confirmed that the filly would be lining up in the Danehill Stakes.

There is not much between the filly and the colt in early betting for the Danehill Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au with Catchy holding a slight advantage at the top of the market order at $3.90 ahead of Jukebox at $5.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.