Trainer Chris Waller will give popular mare Catkins one more chance to void immediately retirement and continue her Autumn Carnival campaign when she trials at Rosehill on Monday.
Catkins will trial at Rosehill on Monday. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Catkins is the winner of sixteen of her thirty-eight starts but put in one of the worst runs of her career when last of six as favourite behind First Seal when beaten three lengths in the Group 2 $175,000 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill last Saturday.
The grey mare was having her first run back from a spell and was sent out as the $2.40 popular pick but after racing midfield in the small six horse field, failed to find her trade mark finishing burst and dropped out to last.
“I don’t normally find horses give up,” Waller said.
“She doesn’t get beaten like that. She doesn’t run out of the first three.”
Waller said that Catkins didn’t pull up distressed or sore and he has been happy with the way she has been working and a pleasing barrier trial will she line up in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on March 12.
“In saying that she’s not pulling-up distressed. She’s certainly not sore and she’s working sound.”
“If she has one more run it will be in the Coolmore over 1500m,” Waller said.
“She’ll definitely be trialling on Monday if she’s going anywhere. She needs to tell me she’s 100 percent.
“She doesn’t necessarily have to win the trial but she needs to be pretty impressive.
“She will be asked to do something in the trial. She needs to have a flashing light.”
Catkins has been a high level performer since her three year old season and is the winner of five Group 3 races, five Group 2 races and has been placed on five occasions at Group 1 level.
The six year old was last in the winner’s circle during the 2015 Sydney Spring Carnival when she beat Echo Gal in the Group 3 $125,000 Irresistible Pools Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
But she has been denied a Group 1 win from eight attempts with her nose second to stablemate Red Tracer in the 2013 Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington the closest she came to grabbing her share of Group 1 glory.
Catkins will line up in the third trial at Rosehill on Monday and will be up against stablemates Counterattack and Indexed Linked as well as Team Hawkes’ sprinting machine Our Boy Malachi and the well performed Angels Beach, Barbed, Havana Cooler and Knoydart.
