Last season’s star two year old Earthquake is set to make a belated Spring Carnival appearance and is among the small group of fillies nominated for the Group 2 $175,000 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Earthquake headlines the nominations for the Furious Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The Tattersall’s Club was forced to extend nominations for the Furious Stakes until 11am on Tuesday September 2after only nine fillies were entered on Monday morning.
The 2014 Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake was due to kick off her Spring Carnival campaign last Saturday week in the Group 2 $175,000 Coolmore Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick but trainer John O’Shea withdraw her because of the heavy track conditions.
Earthquake hadn’t raced since running second to Mossfun in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5 and O’shea didn’t want to risk her first up on a heavy track.
But O’Shea is very happy with the progress of the Exceed And Excel filly and will know after Saturday if she stays in the Sydney for an unlikely start in the Group 1 $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill the following week or heads to Melbourne and prepare for the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 11.
“She’s in great order, very very very happy with her. There has a long campaign ahead of her,” O’Shea said.
“She has got so many options going forward for her in the Spring.”
Stablemate Memorial is also among the nominations for the Furious Stakes and has the advantage of having a run under her belt after an excellent first up second to Golden Rose Stakes favourite Bring Me The Maid in the Silver Shadow Stakes.
Clover Lane from the Peter Moody stable will be lining up again after a game third in the Silver Shadow Stakes with fourth placed Alpha Miss also being nominated for Saturday.
The Gerald Ryan trained Peggy Jean is set to make her first 2014 Spring Carnival appearance and is also in the nominations for the Thousand Guineas.
Peggy Jean proved her class during the Sydney Autumn Carnival with a win in the Group 1 $1m Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 12 before finishing fifth to Go Indy Go in the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 26.
Ryan has given Peggy Jean a barrier trial for her return and the Myboycharlie filly finished second over 840m on the Kensington track just ahead of the Chris Waller trained Winx who is also in Saturday’s nominations.
Winx has only had two race starts and collected the winner’s cheque on both occasions in June in a midweek Warwick Farm two year old and then against Saturday class at Rosehill.
Earthquake is the $5 favourite in the early betting for the Thousand Guineas at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of Go Indy Go at $5.50, Bring Me The Maid at $7 and Peggy Jean at $9.
