Group 2 winning filly Scandiva will be given a shot at the Melbourne & Sydney Spring Racing Carnival sprints this coming race season with trainer Anthony Cummings suggesting she could even win the Flight Stakes over the mile.
Magic Night Stakes winning filly Scandiva could target the Flight Stakes in Sydney this spring. Photo: Steve Hart.
While not convinced the rising Fastnet Rock three-year-old is a genuine miler, Cummings believed that you didn’t need to be one to take out the $400,000 Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on October 5.
“I’m not sure she’ll go to the mile this time around, although you don’t need a strong miler to win the Flight Stakes,” he said when discussing spring plans for the progressive youngster.
To date Scandiva has had six starts for two turf triumphs.
She broke her maiden status at Warwick Farm back in March before stepping up to Group company at Rosehill.
In a tight finish in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) Scandiva was able to hold off Shahad and win by a nose.
From there Cummings sent her up to elite level.
The filly proved she could be competitive in the Group 1 Sydney autumn features too with her close second to Guelph in the Group 1 ATC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m).
She wasn’t as competitive when going up to the 1600m two weeks later however finishing ninth to the same Peter Snowden-trained horse in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
This time Cummings will likely keep her to the shorter features looking to add to her prize money earned, with the exception of the Flight Stakes.
“She will be kept to shorter trips,” Cummings said on the weekend.
“We might even keep her fresh for the Coolmore (Stud Stakes after the Flight Stakes).”
The $500,000 Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) runs at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day, Saturday November 2.
Last year a filly beat home the boys in the Melbourne Cup Carnival classic with the John Thompson-trained Nechita defeated a crack field.
Victoria Derby Day was also a spring highlight for Cummings who took out the marquee race with Fiveandahalfstar who was last seen winning the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) in Sydney this autumn.
Cummings has indicated he will vie for back-to-back Derbies in 2013 with his Danehill Dancer colt Drago.
