Jockey Katelyn Mallyon has revealed that she may elect to take a sit on Heatherly in the early stages of the 2016 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield on Saturday.
Heatherly will have the chance to record a maiden victory at Group 1 level in the 2016 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield this weekend. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
Heatherly has shown brilliant early speed since she made her racing debut with an impressive win at Moonee Valley just over a year ago and she has led in the majority of her races, but has shown an improved ability to settle this preparation.
The Lonhro filly led from start to finish when she recorded a dominant victory in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on February 13, but Mallyon told Racing Ahead that she expects there to be far more pressure in the early stages of the Oakleigh Plate and she could elect to hand up the lead in the early stages of the race.
“I think there is going to be a little bit more pressure than what there was last start, with a couple of horses drawn on the outside,” Mallyon said.
“She has brilliant speed naturally and she is quite versatile.
“Damian Lane has done a beautiful job getting her to settle and she has her earmuffs on.
“It is nice that she can sit off if they are going too hard and she is pretty versatile like that, but with 50 kilos on her back from a nice barrier, I am sure she is going to be forward.
“Whether or not I lead or not I will play it by ear on how the race is panning out.
“With 50 kilos, she has brilliant speed and a high cruising speed, so we won’t take that away from her.”
While Mallyon is unsure exactly how she will ride Heatherly in the Oakleigh Plate, she remains confident that the talented three-year-old can deliver her a maiden win the highest level of racing.
The talented hoop said that the Rubiton Stakes victory of Heatherly gave her a great deal of confidence and she believes that the one kilogram drop of weight will help the speedy filly in the Oakleigh Plate.
“I am very excited for the race on Saturday,” Mallyon said.
“It was nice to draw a nice barrier and I am really looking forward to it.
“She was super impressive last start, it has given me a lot of confidence and given her a lot of confidence.
“Dropping a kilo in weights is even better for her.”
Heatherly is currently available at 2016 Oakleigh Plate odds of $5 with Ladbrokes and she is on the second line of betting behind Keen Array ($4.60).
