Classy filly Guelph recorded her third win at Group 1 level with a comfortable victory in the Flight Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick today and will go into the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) as a clear favourite.
Guelph will head to Melbourne for the Thousand Guineas after her impressive win in the Flight Stakes at Royal Randwick. Photo by: Steve Hart
Guelph was forced to travel three deep throughout the running of the race but was far too good when asked for an extra effort in the final stages of the race to record another arrogant victory from Sensibility and Bound For Earth.
Trainer Peter Snowden said that he was not worried when the Exceed And Excel filly was caught wide and said that the race was nothing more than a trackwork gallop for the exciting three-year-old.
“He probably backed her ability a little bit there; it wasn’t the spot that we wanted to be but they weren’t going quick and even though she was three deep it was a track gallop,” Snowden said after the race.
“If you can jump, relax and you have a great turn-of-foot that will take you a long way and she possess all of that.
“To me she had an exhibition gallop that is all.”
Guelph was included in the first acceptances for the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) but Snowden said he only has his eyes on the Thousand Guineas and is worried about overtaxing the filly who had a lengthy two-year-old campaign that was highlighted by victories in the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m).
“As far as I am concerned it is just the Thousand Guineas,” Snowden said.
“She had an extended two-year-old preparation so I am mindful about that and I think after a freshen up the autumn carnival is at her feet – Coolmore, Doncaster’s and all those races.”
Kerrin McEvoy has been the target of criticism for some of his rides thus far during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival but was happy with the confident manner in which he rode the champion filly.
“She enjoyed that step up to the mile again and I rode her really confidently,” McEvoy said.
“It was tactical and I just thought wrestling her to go right back would make her job harder.
“Sure she was three deep but she had the class to overcome it.
“She is a real classy animal, as we have all seen, and I feel privileged just to be a part of her.
“We have a job down in Melbourne for the fillies’ race and we will see what happens then.”
Guelph will become just the third filly, after Goleen (1984) and Dashing Eagle (1996), to win the Flight Stakes/Thousand Guineas double if she is successful at Caulfield on October 16.
