Smart filly Omei Sword is a notable absentee from the final field for the Group 2 $200,000 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday after trainer Chris Waller decided to give her extra time to overcome a muscle problem.
Omei Sword, above, will miss the Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Omei Sword was always doubtful to run in the Light Fingers Stakes as she was struggling to recover from muscle soreness that saw her scratched from the Group 3 $150,000 Australian Chinese Jockey Club Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Waller made the decision to give the High Chaparral filly more time to recover when he was unable to fully test her is a gallop at Rosehill on Wednesday morning.
‘She is still not 100 per cent right, she is working each day but I am reluctant to gallop her until I see her warming up and cooling down without any problems,” Waller told racing.com.
“I believe it will still take a few days but she is certainly improving.
“My intentions will be to gallop her next week and reassess, hoping to get her to the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) on Saturday the 25th of February.”
Omei Sword has now been tentatively booked to kick off her 2017 Autumn Carnival campaign in the Group 2 $200,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 25.
Waller will still have a strong representation in the Light Fingers Stakes with promising filly Foxplay among the fourteen final acceptors.
Foxplay has drawn barrier three with Hugh Bowman to ride again after the leading jockey partnered her through the 2016 Spring Carnival for two wins and a last start fourth to Global Glamour in the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
Prior to her Thousand Guineas fourth, Bowman combined with the Foxwedge filly to win two Group 2 races at Randwick, the $175,000 Furious Stakes (1200m) and the $175,000 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m).
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Global Glamour is also among the final acceptances for the Light Fingers Stakes and the Group 2 $250,000 The Star Apollo Stakes (1400m) on the same program.
Global Glamour has drawn barrier twelve in the Light Fingers Stakes with Josh Parr booked to ride while Tim Clark is down to partner the Star Witness filly in the Apollo Stakes.
Global Glamour was the star filly of the 2016 Spring Carnival with wins in the Group 1 $500,000 Sydney Airport Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and in the Thousand Guineas but was is winless at two starts over the Summer with an unlucky ninth in $100,000 Nudgee Quality (1200m) at Eagle Farm followed by a second to $101 outsider Flying Jess in the $2m Gold Coast Magic Millions 3yo Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 14.
Global Glamour heads the betting for the Light Fingers Stakes at $3.40 with Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of Spright at $4.60, Foxplay at $5.50 and Honesty Prevails at $6.50.
