Kimberley Star Can Beat The Colts In 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality

Trainer Gai Waterhouse is confident that Kimberley Star will beat the colts when she contests the 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality at Royal Randwick tomorrow.

Kimberley Star has the chance to record a maiden win at Group level in the 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Kimberley Star has the chance to record a maiden win at Group level in the 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Kimberley Star made a slow start to her winter campaign, bit she recorded her first race win with a fast-finishing effort in the All Too Hard At Vinery Maiden (1300m) at Warwick Farm and she proved that win was no fluke when she went on to take out the TAB Rewards Handicap (1400m) at Royal Randwick on July 11 and the Structaflor Yellowtongue Plate (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on August 1.

The Star Witness filly was given a maiden opportunity at Group level in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on August 22 and she was settled at the tail of the field by jockey Tim Clark in the early stages of the race before she stormed home to finish second behind stablemate Speak Fondly.

Waterhouse was thrilled with the effort of Kimberley Star in the Silver Shadow Stakes and she is confident that the three-year-old will prove very tough to beat if she replicates a similar performance in the Ming Dynasty Quality.

“She got a little bit far back then and Speak Fondly was just a little too nippy,” Waterhouse said.

“I can’t see why this filly can’t beat the colts and I think that she will be too good for them personally.”

Kimberley Star has shown a degree of tactical versatility during her racing career to date, but Waterhouse was not happy with where she was settled in the Silver Shadow Stakes.

Waterhouse does not expect Kimberley Star to be settled right on the speed in the Ming Dynasty Quality, but she revealed that she would not be surprised if there were a number of scratchings from the Group 3 event.

“There will probably be a lot of scratchings, they love to scratch their horses when it is wet in Sydney, so it might end up being not a particularly big field,” Waterhouse said.

Kimberley Star is currently available at 2015 Ming Dynasty Quality odds of $3.10 with Ladbrokes and she is a narrow favourite from the promising Cannyescent ($3.60), Gary Nickson-trained Voilier ($5), and market mover Metallic Crown ($6.50).

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.