Trainer Gerald Ryan is confident that Peggy Jean will produce an improved performance in the 2014 Tea Rose Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend.
Peggy Jean won the Sires Produce Stakes over the same course and distance of the Tea Rose Stakes during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Photo by: Steve Hart
Peggy Jean won her maiden Group 1 event on a wet track in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 12, but she failed to fire on a rain affected surface when she returned to the races with a flat fifth place finish behind Winx in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on September 6.
Ryan told Racing Ahead that Peggy Jean was set a difficult assignment first-up by jockey Blake Shinn and believes that the daughter of Myboycharlie took plenty of benefit out of her first-up performance heading into the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) this weekend.
”It was ok, she probably wasn’t fit enough on a heavy 10 to take off 600 metres from home and go five wide around them,” Ryan said of Peggy Jean’s performance in the Tea Rose Stakes.
“We will see here being ridden quiet tomorrow and only have the one crack at them in the straight.
“I just want to find out – if she is strong at the end she will go to the Flight and then the Thousand Guineas and we will make up our minds where we go afterwards.”
While Ryan is confident that Peggy Jean will produce an improved performance in the Tea Rose Stakes, he admits that the likes of champion two-year-old Earthquake will also have taken plenty of benefit out of the Furious Stakes.
That does not mean that Ryan is ruling Peggy Jean out of the winning chances in the Tea Rose Stakes and he pointed to the fillies excellent second-up record, which includes wins in the Inglis Classic and Sires Produce Stakes, as one thing that is in her favor in the Group 2 event.
“She has come on, but a lot of those fillies in that race the other day would have come on after that run, especially Earthquake,” Ryann said.
“I think that it is going to be a very interesting tactical race tomorrow.
“She is unbeaten second-up and her two wins have been at Randwick, so there is a little bit in her favor tomorrow.
“I don’t mind her getting back on a reasonably firm track too because a lot of people have her down as only a wet tracker, but I don’t believe she is.
“She ran second to Nayeli on a dry track and beat Robbie Laing’s colt (Boomwaa) on a dry track, so I haven’t got her down as just a wet tracker.
“I think that she will run better tomorrow and can improve off it too.”
Peggy Jean is currently available at Tea Rose Stakes odds of $13, while Winx ($2.20) is a clear favourite from Earthquake in betting for the Group 1 event.
