Top Melbourne jockey Craig Newitt gave a glowing report for the Gai Waterhouse trained Sweet Idea after partnering her in her final hit out in the lead up to the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Sweet Idea, above winning the Missile Stakes, pleases Craig Newitt in the lead up to the Memsie Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
Newitt rode Sweet Idea at Flemington on Tuesday morning and was full of praise following her 1200m gallop.
“She is going really good. He work on Tuesday morning was really good,” Newitt told TVN.
“She worked over 1200m, very strong to the line.”
Flemington clocker Warren Huntley agreed with Newitt after watching the Sydney mare go through her paces on the dirt track.
Huntley timed Sweet Idea to run the 1200m in 1.24.62, the final 400m in 25.24 seconds and commented that the Snitzel mare had no trouble handling the Melbourne way of going.
“She appeared to have no problems galloping in the anti-clockwise direction on Tuesday morning,” Huntley wrote in his Sportsman’s column.
“She boasts an impressive second-up record and is sure to give another great sight in tomorrow’s Memsie Stakes.”
Sweet Idea is a natural on pace runner and Newitt can see himself either setting the pace or being in the leading bunch and expects the tough mare to be hard to run down as she proved when a first up winner in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 9.
“She is going to bounce quick and put herself in the first couple and I’m sure she will be hard to beat,” Newitt said.
“That’s the best thing about her. When she looks like she is down and out she always leaves something in reserve and unless they put her away quick, they’ll know they have a fight on their hands.”
The Peter Moody trained Moment Of Change is undefeated over the 1400m Caulfield course which includes three wins at Group 1 level with his last two, the $400,000 Sportingbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) and the $500,000 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m), from the front.
“I think Moment Of Change is the only other likely (on pace runner) one and maybe Messene from an inside gate but I know my mare, she’ll bounce quick,” Newitt said.
“She’ll run the first sectionals pretty quick and we’ll look for a breather somewhere and I’m sure she will give a good kick.”
Sweet Idea is set to clash again with Messene and Boban who finished behind her in the Missile Stakes.
The Team Hawkes trained Messene was doing his best work at the finish when he failed to pick up Sweet Idea by a head when second while Boban also ran home strongly from back in the field to finish fourth after being slow to leave the barriers.
Moment Of Change also has had the benefit of a recent start and will strip a lot fitter after running second to Hard Stride in the Listed $120,000 Winslow Group Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield a fortnight ago.
The Memsie Stakes is a fairly tight betting affair with the Chris Waller trained Boban heading the market order with Ladbrokes.com.au at $3.80 ahead of Messene at $4.20, Sweet Idea at $5.50 and Moment Of Change at $6.
