Trainer Neville Layt believes Karuta Queen has worked better than when she won the Magic Millions

Neville Layt can certainly give a big push to his horses in the lead up to their runs but there isn’t one he likes doing it to more than Karuta Queen.

It’s not without merit either, she’s a Magic Million champion, has won four from eight starts and is always a tough horse to catch out in front.

This week though Layt has arguable given her a bigger rap than ever before and if you take his word for it she won’t be beaten in the Heritage Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.

“She worked better than when she won the Magic Millions,” he said.

“Her last run was very very good against the big boys and she’s improved from there.”

That’s a fair call as well, in her last race Karuta Queen was given virtually no hope by the punters but with 100m to go she looked the winner in the Run To The Rose.

It took the brilliance of Smart Missile, Helmet and Foxwedge to eventually run her down but given they are easily in the top couple of three year olds in the country she was far from embarrassed.

” She was going to win 100m out, she got beaten two lengths by three of the best colts in Australia,” Layt said.

He expressed disappointment in the fact there was a lack of suitable top line sprint events for three year old fillies over the spring and that he’d have to make sacrifices in either class or distance.

“It’s a big frustrating time trying to place her in the right races and I just hope on Saturday that I have her in the right race,” he said.

“She ran out a good 1150m the other day and she let down fantastic in the straight.”

In typical Layt style he also is keeping one eye on the future and is even pondering a run against Black Caviar in the Group 1 Schillaci Stakes.

“I get in with 50kg and it’s only a 1000m so who knows, if I run second it’d be a great effort,” he said.