Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake headlines the nominations for the Group 2 $175,000 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake set to resume in the Silver Shadow Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The Silver Shadow Stakes for the three year old fillies only attracted eight entries forcing the Australian Turf Club to extend the nomination deadline until 11am on Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Earthquake’s stablemate Memorial is among the early nominations as are the Peter Moody trained Bring Me The Maid and Clover Lane.
Gai Waterhouse has two fillies, Nayeli and Twirl while the remainder of the entries include the Gary Nickson trained Alphha Miss and last start Rosehill winner Press Report.
Earthquake, who races under the Godolphin banner, and Bring Me The Maid are both having their first run back as they commence their Spring Carnival campaigns and will clash again after finishing second and third to Mossfun in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill in April.
Head trainer for Godolphin, John O’Shea, has earmarked the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival as the main Spring Carnival target for Earthquake.
The Exceed And Excel filly hasn’t had a public barrier trial but has trialled twice at Godolphin’s Agnes Banks set up with O’Shea saying that he is happy with her progress.
“She’s a pretty unassuming horse, and I haven’t been galloping her on the watch where I can say, ‘wow, look how good she is going’,” O’Shea told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’ve been ticking her over with a view to a long spring. Her main goal will be the Coolmore Stud Stakes in Melbourne. Nothing worries her, she’s got a great attitude, which the good horses tend to have.’’
Earthquake was the dominant two year old in the early part of the Autumn Carnival and scored a comfortable win in the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22.
Then back in Sydney she scored a one and a quarter length win over Mossfun in the Group 2 $300,000 Parramatta Leagues Club Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 22.
But Mossfun was able to reverse the result on Golden Slipper Day with the Team Hawkes trained filly getting the better of Earthquake in the final stages to win by three quarters of a length.
Mossfun was also set to resume in the Silver Shadow Stakes by the Hawkes Team had to delay the start of her Spring Carnival campaign after the Mossman filly contracted a virus forcing her to be rested until well enough to resume work.
Bring Me The Maid has had two barrier trials in preparation for her return, her latest was a second over 760m at Hawkesbury on August 11 to Nostradamus who came out last Saturday at Rosehill to score a tough first up win in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m).
The Lee Curtis trained Press Report will have a fitness edge on the Golden Slipper placegetters following two runs from a spell.
The Written Tycoon filly was fourth first up behind Liberation over 1200m at Rosehill on July 19 then was awarded the race on protest after being second over the line behind Liberation again over 1300m at Rosehill on August 2.
