Trainer John Sargent is anticipating a bold showing from Crown Oaks winner Kirramosa when she makes her long awaited return to the race track in the Group 2 $175,000 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Kirramosa will be having her first run since winning the 2013 Crown Oaks, above, in the Missile Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
While the Randwick based Kiwi trainer doesn’t really expect Kirramosa to be visiting the winner’s stall at her first run since winning the Group 1 $1m Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington during last year’s Spring Carnival, he would be keen to see her running on prominently at the finish.
“Obviously the Missile will be a bit short but it is a good starting point and I expect her to be running on and to be strong to the line,” Sargent told AAP.
Kirramosa is one of sixteen nominations for the Missile Stakes which will be the Spring starting point for most of its entries which includes three Chris Waller Group 1 winners Boban, Foreteller and Hawkspur as well as stablemates Weary and Kencella.
Also included are Group 1 winners Rebel Dane, Laser Hawk and Tiger Tees, all resuming from a Winter spell.
Sargent elected to bypass the Autumn Carnival and miss the Group 1 $1m Seven News Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick because a fetlock injury that saw Kirramosa undergo minor surgery for a chipped bone.
“The bone chip was nothing major and we could have given her medication and then gone on to the ATC Oaks,” Sargent said.
“But we decided to give her the time off and she is a much bigger and much stronger mare now.
“She was always a little bit weak but got through on her big heart and her class.”
“We could have tried to push her to be right for the Brisbane winter carnival but after having three months off we decided it would be best to take the patient approach and give her every opportunity of being right for the spring.
Sargent is quite confident that the Alamosa mare will get back to her best as the Spring unfolds as she heads towards her main goals the Group 1 $3m Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 18 and the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 4.
“It’s sometimes hard for horses to take their three-year-old staying form into their next season but I’m sure she is a genuine stayer,” Sargent said.
Sargent decided against a barrier trial for the Oaks winner leading into her comeback run and instead opted for a gallop in between races at Randwick on July 26.
“She hasn’t had a trial but had a race day gallop and came through that really well,” Sargent said.
In early market orders for the Caulfield Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au, Kirramosa is on the second line of betting at $15 alongside of Lucia Valentina and The Offer while Australian Oaks winner Rising Romance holds the favourite spot at $13.
While in Melbourne Cup betting, Kirramosa is at the more lucrative odds of $34 with the Gai Waterhouse trained The Offer the early favourite at $13.
