Kathy O’Hara has picked up the plum ride on Estonian Princess in the Group 3 $150,000 Blacktown Workers Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
Kathy O'Hara will be the new rider for Estonian Princess in the Hawkesbury Guineas. Photo by Steve Hart.
Warwick Farm trainer Scott Aspery is backing up Estonian Princess after the filly beat Northern Glory in last Saturday’s Group 3 $150,000 Bacardi Untimeable J H B Carr Stakes (1400m) at Randwick with Brenton Avdulla board.
Avdulla has elected to ride the Anthony Cummings trained Spy Decoder on Saturday leaving the ride on Estonian Princess available for O’Hara.
The ever popular O’Hara is no stranger to the Snitzel filly and Aspery was happy to snap her up after she steered Estonian Princess to her Maiden win over 1400m at Randwick on New Year’s Day.
“Kathy’s won on the horse before and she knows her as well as anyone,” Aspery told AAP.
Estonian Princess has been in work since before December 1 when she finished fourth in a 1000m Kembla Grange Maiden and Asprey said that she will definitely be heading for the spelling paddock after Saturday.
“She had two weeks off after the Gold Coast in January but aside from that she’s been going for five months now,” Aspery said.
“I think she has done enough.”
“She deserves a break because she has proven she is worthy of a tilt at some of the better races in the spring.”
Estonian Princess will be taking on the Gai Waterhouse trained Northern Glory again as well as the well performed New Zealand three year old Beauty’s Beast.
The David Greene trained Beauty’s Beast has won five races from nine starts including his Australian debut last start in the Listed $150,000 McGrath Estate Agents South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick on April 19.
Greene was impressed with the gelding’s win last start and predicts a bright future for the Guillotine gelding.
“He’s got a great cruising speed, he is strong, he is lightly raced and there is no reason next season he doesn’t come back a bigger stronger horse,” Green said.
Spy Decoder is also on the improve but will have to mend his barrier manners after he was slow to leave the gates when fourth to Beauty’s Beast at Randwick with James McDonald in the saddle.
McDonald will be riding Chautauqua for Team Hawkes in the Hawkesbury Guineas after partnering the Encosta De Lago three year old at his last two starts for a second in the Listed $250,000 De Bortoli Wines Gosford Guineas (1200m) at Gosford on April 6 followed by a seventh to Sidestep in the Group 2 $500,000 Arrowfield Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 19.
