Scorpio Queen will be making his debut for trainer Kris Lees when she returns to racing in the 2014 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Scorpio Queen will be having the penultimate start of her racing career in the 2014 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart
Scorpio Queen joined the Lees stable after she finished a fair sixth in the Group 3 Percy Sykes Tribute Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 29, after previously being prepared by Les Kelly, and did enough in a barrier trial victory at Wyong on May 27 to convince her new trainer that she was worthy of a first-up start in the Stradbroke Handicap.
The Choisir mare has been competitive at Group level since she was a three-year-old in the hands of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller, but has been unable to add a Group win to her racing resume.
Scorpio Queen scored a maiden black type win in the Listed Gold Coast Bracelet in 2012 and finished a narrow third behind Invest and Miss Artistic in the Group 3 The Roses (2000m) at Doomben on May 19 before making her Group 1 debut with a disappointing performance in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 12.
The talented mare missed the entire 2012 Spring Racing Carnival due to injury and she was transferred to the stable of Kerry Parker after she failed to fire in two starts during the 2013 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Scorpio Queen made her racing debut for Parker in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m) at Warwick Farm on August 24 last year and finished a credible fourth, but did not beat home a runner in the Listed Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) and Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) and moved stable once again to join Les Kelly.
Kelly was able to get the best out of Scorpio Queen and she returned to winning form in the Listed Bernborough Handicap (1625m) at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve and finished a narrow second in the Magic Millions Stayers Cup (1800m) at the Gold Coast on January 11.
Scorpio Queen returned to Sydney racing with a credible fourth in the Group 3 Wiggle Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm on March 8 and finished a luckless sixth at Group 1 level in the Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 22.
The exciting broodmare prospect is set to have only two starts for her fourth trainer, in the Stradbroke Handicap and Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), before being retired in time for the 2014 breeding season.
