O’Brien to decide if Shopaholic goes to Sydney or the paddock

Trainer Danny O’Brien will decide tomorrow if his smart filly Shopaholic who runs in the Group 2 $300,000 TAB Sportsbet Kewney Stakes (1400m) at Flemington will head to Sydney or the spelling paddock.

If the Pins filly was able to make it four from four this preparation, O’Brien will consider a start in the Group 1 $600,000 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on March 24.

But if she got beat, O’Brien will give her a short break and get her ready for Brisbane in the winter where he would target the Group 1 $1m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m).

Shopaholic is racing in outstanding form and has the scalp of Australian Guineas winner Mosheen to her credit in the Group 3 $150,000 The Vanity Stakes (1410m) at Flemington on February 18.

The filly then came out and won the Group 2 $180,000 D’Urban Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 25.

“The Vanity was the day she really put her hand up that she was well up to the best fillies of her generation and she stamped the form seven days later with a comprehensive win in the Angus Armanasco,” O’Brien said.

“If she wins there is a chance she will have one more run in the Coolmore but I am certainly looking to give her a bit of a break and head up to Brisbane for the Winter Stakes and possibly the Stradbroke before that.”

O’Brien knew he had a top class filly with what he saw last spring and isn’t surprised to see her performing well at a high level.

“I saw enough of her in the Spring to know she was up to the better fillies,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien has no regrets about not running in the Australian Guineas after Mosheen romped away with Group 1 but was more than happy to see the form around his filly stand up.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.