Tycoon Tara will return to the races in the 2015 McEwen Stakes and trainer Symon Wilde is keen to see how the talented mare stacks up against the toughest field that she has raced against during her career to date.
Tycoon Tara will face the toughest test of her racing career to date in the 2015 McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley this weekend. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett
Tycoon Tara stamped herself as a mare to watch when she took out both the Group 3 Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 14 and Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) during the 2015 Melbourne Festival Of Racing before she was far from disgraced when fifth in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on May 2.
The Written Tycoon mare impressed Wilde with her performance in a recent jump out, but the rising trainer told Racing Ahead that he is not expecting his star galloper to beat the likes of Chautauqua in the McEwen Stakes this weekend.
“She has had a trouble free preparation this time in,” Wilde said.
“She had a trial a fortnight ago at Geelong and we were pretty pleased, she won it quite convincingly.
“She is a very difficult horse to get a gauge on, she is one of the laziest horses that we have got and to get anything out of her at trackwork she needs to have company, blinkers or we take her away.
“She is a real raceday horse and that is when she brings her best.
“In saying all that we were very pleased with the trial.
“It is obviously a very strong race and she has an awkward draw, but she has to start somewhere and she will be better for the run.
“I am looking forward to how she measures up in this ground, it is one of the strongest races that we have been in and I am not expecting her to go out and win, but I am just hoping that she can be competitive and that will shape what path we take through the spring.”
Tycoon Tara has shown plenty of early speed during her racing career to date and Wilde said that he expects jockey Craig Williams will look to cross the rest of the 2015 McEwen Stakes field to take up the running in the early stages of the race.
“She has shown such good speed in her previous starts and she led in the Sangster over in Adelaide quite easily,” Williams said.
“I am guessing that we will try and use her speed a little bit, I will have a talk to Craig and see what he thinks.
“I don’t think she is a terrific winning chance, but nothing would surprise me with her because she seems to just jump over the bar whatever we set for her.”
Tycoon Tara is currently available at 2015 McEwen Stakes odds of $41 with Ladbrokes, while Chautauqua ($2.20) is a clear favourite from Furnaces ($7), Kuro ($7), Flamberge ($7) and Sistonic ($8).
